The Fallen Children
by Dclnsfrd
Summary: *Story now up for adoption. Please PM if you're interested.* Chara, a Fallen Child, was sent underground with a mission: kill the king of the monsters. But what happens when unstopable pain meets unbreakable love? (Cover art by Tumblr user vexilligera)
1. You or Me

**Author's Note: Hello! Whether you've decided to reset at the end of "Determination," I hope you enjoy this next story! Please take a moment to leave a review, so I can BE FILLED WITH WRITING DETERMINATION! ;-D**

 **(As of 4/21/16, this story is up for adoption. Please PM if you're interested.)**

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The child trembled as they stood at the mouth of the cave. Even though the sun had shone for three days, its heat uninhibited by so much as a mention of a cloud, the child felt a deep chill like that of a winter's night. They were taught time and again about this cave on Mount Ebbot, making it both a mysterious and familiar place. They couldn't pinpoint the first time they knew about the cave, as there was always a strong suspicion that knowledge of this place was taught to them before the Caretakers taught them how to walk. And no one could answer how or when the cave was first discovered, as the existence of the massive subterranean expanse survived long past the memory of its original discoverer. When the war drew to an end, all the generals knew about it was that it had one opening and was large enough to trap their enemies.

The child put a hand on the ground which encompassed the only entry to the cave beneath. They stared, momentarily wondering if it really was some group of magicians or wizards who sealed away the enemy army, but laughed bitterly at the idea of humans possessing more power than just to speak, lie, hurt, kill and be killed. _It was just a group of fighters who got lucky_ , they recited to themselves, _just like us_. They looked up the height of the entrance from one side around to the other, the earth and rock seeming to rise up from the ground, encircle a lightless gap, and return to the ground again. The child held on with both hands, as staring up and around the edge of the mouth of the cave made them dizzy. It felt like an impossibly large creature waiting for a hearty meal. Or a wayward child.

A sharp sensation like a tooth across the palm of their right hand threatened to elicit a scream of pain and fear and surprise and terror and hatred and fear, but they instinctively clapped their prominent hand over their nose and mouth. The sharp smell of iron made their eyes grow wide, but the swirling senses- the dizziness, the smell and taste of blood, throbbing pain in the hand- all of these worked together to draw a smile back onto their face. They rubbed their lips together, wondering if it would be better to clean them or if blood could act as a protection against chapped lips. They looked at the cut on the right hand and laughed that the assailant was merely a particularly sharp rock. As they wiped their hand on their pants, wanting to keep from staining their striped sweater unless absolutely necessary, a memory came to them.

When the adults brought the other children to the House, the child remembered the strangers and their Caretakers cutting their hands before both of them shaking hands together. The child forgot what was said exactly apart from the repeated words "money" and "power," but they always remembered that they were some forms of promises that made the departing adults either cry a little less or become downright joyful. The child looked up at the cave mouth again, no longer dizzy by the abyss before them. Raising their right hand, they whispered, "So, it's you or me. I swear that this is the last time I'll be scared or beaten. If you want to see more blood, it won't be mine."

With a deep breathe of resolve, the child carefully stepped into the cave to defeat the monsters.


	2. What's Your Name?

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I hope you enjoy this next chapter, and please leave a review so I can know what's working and what isn't. :)**

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While some light poured in behind them, the child saw a decent-sized stick and brought it along. The Caretakers taught the child many things, including how to use clicks of the tongue to detect obstacles even without light. But their improperly healed ankle was a frequent reminder that no sound could properly inform one of a four-foot deep hole. They walked forward, slowed but not stopped by the darkness.

A weak breeze managed to meet the child, all warmth gone after leaving the sunny mountainside. They shuddered as the breeze made them more aware of the temperature difference, hoping that their sweater would help if things got as cold as in the Room back at the House. _I guess that's why they always kept the Room so cold_ , the child thought. The realization came unbidden, followed by several minutes of hitting the ground with their walking stick to keep more memories from coming back. After imagining certain humans on the ground, finally powerless beneath the walking stick of one of the Fallen Children, the child was able to mentally push the everything except their training back into the iron box that was supposed to keep everything under control.

The clicks gave them somewhat of a picture of the various large rocks coming up from the ground in small towers, but the walking stick helped immensely. The child decided to make softer clicks to listen for some creature that could serve as a meal later. The Caretakers must have seen the cave of Mount Ebbot as a convenient way to dispose of their oldest Fallen Child, sending them in literally blind, but nothing said that death had to accompany with an empty stomach.

As they continued to walk, a faint noise that had been overpowered by their own footsteps became a little bit louder. The child tried to hold their breath to keep from panicking. They had been told for their whole life that the first kill is the hardest, but being alone in the dark seemed to put such abstract knowledge into a different realm. They shut their eyes tightly as the iron box rattled in their mind, threatening to ruin everything. But as the sound grew louder, the child's heart began to beat a little more slowly. Was their first enemy singing? Everyone at the House had to sing the Loyalty Song several times a day, but this song sounded so different. As the child slowed their steps forward, as the words of the song ***** seemed to come from the soft blue glow up ahead.

 _Coming from a land far away_

 _Th' angel will turn night to day_

 _And lead us into the sun_

 _And won't forget anyone_

The child's first thought was what they were always taught at the House: the monsters are trying various methods to break the barrier. A musical piece of propaganda would make sense. But not like this. This song sounded soft, happy, willfully sung, with something else in the pauses between notes that the child could neither understand or ignore. That something drew them closer until they saw a monster not much taller than them, facing towards the cave wall.

The monster seemed light-colored and furry, with something like floppy ears resting on their long, purple robe. They sang again as they picked glowing mushrooms from various areas of the wall, their voice seeming to indicate a male, though possibly not yet fully matured.

 _The dark caves will all fade away_

 _And we will not be afraid_

 _On the surface, we'll be free_

 _We'll live in joy, you... and... me..._

The song slowed to a halt as the young monster turned to see the human child standing in the direction of the barrier.

The child wondered why they didn't just fight and get it over with. Monsters are blood-thirsty killers. Why was this one singing and now standing there and not trying to kill me, they wondered.

The young monster suddenly launched forward and cried out, his eyes wide and shining in the low light. The child raised their stick and felt a thud as some part of it reached its target. As they grabbed for the knife given to them before setting out to Mount Ebbot, the monster's cry finally registered. With their hand still gripping the knife hilt behind their back, and the monster rubbing the side of his face, both of them stared at each other in near-silent confusion. In the child's head, the monster's words had a deafening echo:

"You're hurt! What happened," he had asked frantically.

"I'm sorry," the child said, unsure if they were allowed to mean it.

"Why did you do that," he asked, sniffling and wiping his eyes from tears of hurt, frustration, or both.

"I'm… hurt," the child answered hesitantly. _Why can't I just try again,_ the child thought, chastising themself.

"Are you lost? Where's your, uh- what do humans have- your herd? Your group?"

"My family," the child asked, trying desperately to grasp any resolve to kill this young monster that was showing them concern and give help. _What kind of magic is he using_ , they wondered.

"Oh, humans have families, too," he asked, smiling.

"Some do," the child said, beginning to resign themselves to this bewildering and intoxicating sense of safety. "I don't. Not really, anyway."

"Then you can get another one! You can have a family, um, what's your name?"

The child sighed as that question reminded them of the truth. Their life. Their identity. They were a Fallen Child, a tool of the kingdom. They weren't given names like other children, only codenames.

"I am Chara," they answered.

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 *** Look up the Undertale song "His Theme" to hear the tune.**


	3. You Are Found Guilty

"Chara," the young monster repeated. "That's a nice name. How do you spell it?"

"C-H-A-R-A," the child said.

"Oh, so it's 'Chara,' not 'Chara,'" he asked, confirming the pronunciation.

"It doesn't matter," they said, shrugging. "If you're talking to me, I'll respond. What about you? What's your name?"

"I'm Asriel. A-S-R-I-E-L."

A muffled ding punctuated the silence, like two glasses clinking under a blanket.

Chara raised a hand to scratch their face only to find that some of the blood from their hand had dried around their mouth and chin. _That would explain his reaction and thinking I was still hurt_ , they thought. They tried to ignore how the monster's worried face reminded them so much of the other Fallen Children at the House, but couldn't stop their hand from raising up to clean off their face. Asriel put his hand on theirs to stop them, causing them to jolt out of their thoughts.

"You can wash it off later. My parents are just like any other monsters, so if they see you're hurt, they might help you." He chuckled nervously, as his hand on theirs began to tremble. "Or kill you for being a human. You never know, right?"

 _That stupid look again_ , Chara groaned inwardly. They tried to steel themself against memories of the younger Fallen Children having to be brave even if they might be killed. Especially if they might be killed. But the memories persisted, rattling in that iron box in the depths of their mind. They wanted to give those younger Fallen Children comfort that they themself never received. To comfort this young monster-

Chara reached a hand up and plucked a single hair from the young monster's face, causing him to give a slight yelp. Monsters are to be battled, not comforted. Or they can be used, as the case may warrant.

"Don't cry about what might happen or did happen," said Chara, physically turning around while mentally keeping a hand on the iron box of their memories to calm it down. "If your parents give me shelter, fine. If they kill me and use my blood to cook their holiday dinner-"

"That's grotesquely specific," Asriel muttered.

"- then fine. Monsters kill others all the time."

"We might be monsters," he objected, reaching to place a hand on Chara's shoulder, "but we're not bad."

As soon as his unseen hand made contact with Chara's back, they gave a gasp, grabbed his wrist and spun around to force his arm to bend behind his back. When they noticed that their hand was on the neck of their potential provider of food and shelter, they realized that it wasn't the best choice to exterminate their only possible provider of food and shelter.

"I'm sorry, Asriel," they laughed, releasing him. "I overreacted. I guess I was scared."

They weren't entirely lying.

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"There he is," another monster said as Asriel approached their home, their tone laden with displeasure. Chara was waiting in the shadows behind an outthrust rock, but ventured a peek to see that the voice which greeted him looked like a taller version of Asriel, right down to the purple robe. On a large band of fabric which ran down the front was a golden insignia. It seemed to be a simple design, but was too far away to discern any details. _I wonder if that monster is his mother or father_ , Chara wondered.

"I'm sorry I took so long, mom," Asriel said, lowering his head in apology.

 _Well, that answers that_ , thought Chara.

"And that you didn't call or text me back to let me know you were okay," she asked, producing a cell phone from her robes.

Chara didn't have to see his face to imagine his look of shock as he stammered, quickly pulling his cellphone from his pocket. They stole another glance to see that he was fervently apologizing with both hands wrapped around his phone. The mother had her arms crossed, her eyes closed and head tilted upwards. For some reason, Chara could tell that this mother's pose of superiority and anger wasn't completely genuine.

"You know that this can't go unpunished," she said.

"What," he asked.

 _What_ , they thought.

"You are found guilty of being late for dinner! The penalty... is... **tickling**!"

Chara peered from behind the rock, watching transfixed as they witnessed this act of tickling for the first time: the mother moved her hands and fingers around the back of Asriel's neck and under his arms, each tickle eliciting high-pitched giggling. Moving closer, he reached his hands behind her and tickled her back. The mother gave a shouting laughter, letting go so he could jump back and laugh victoriously. Chara felt scared of the idea of someone touching them like that, but also kind of wished they could make the other Fallen Children laugh and smile so easily.

"Sweetheart," the mother called out, "Asriel is guilty of being late for dinner, but he's trying to appeal it!"

"Appeal denied," came a deep, laughing voice from inside the house. "And I think you're guilty of being too beautiful, Tori!"

Soon after, another monster who resembled Asriel stepped out. He was wearing a larger, though otherwise identical, purple robe with the same insignia. This monster embraced the mother and kissed her.

"Ew," Asriel groaned, though he couldn't help but smile.

Chara watched with wide eyes, unsure if luck was finally for them or yet again against them. Laying upon the head of this third monster was a golden crown.

The king of the monsters gave the mother a quick kiss on the forehead and turned to Asriel.

"So, why were you late," he asked.

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 **Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I hope you enjoyed this new chapter. I'm more interested in friendship than relationship, but we'll see where this all goes, eh? Please leave a review so I can know what you think about the story so far! :)**


	4. Why Are You Here?

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Hope you're doing well and that you enjoy this next chapter of the story. Please take a moment to leave a review on your thoughts of the chapter and/or story so far. Help me be filled with DETERMINATION! *hair goes super Sayan***

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"I had to help someone," Asriel answered slowly.

"Is that right," asked the monster king, his previous joy obscured by doubtful caution.

"All the way out here," the mother chimed in, confused. "Who would come all the way out here after your father finally let Doctor Gaster look after things for the weekend?"

"Was it a messenger from Gaster," the King asked, his face and rising volume hardly containing his alarm.

"No, I-" Asariel started.

"Did he try to send a messenger? Did something go wrong?"

"It was a- I found a-" Asriel began, his stammers becoming overpowered by the echoing worries of the king.

Chara felt as if they were watching another film back at the House. Maybe one called _Documentation of Monster Hierarchies_. And there would be a quiz afterwards on how to use the information to stay a step ahead of the enemy. _This isn't real_ , they reassured themself as their hands clenched into shaking fists while that tall monster raised their voice at their only ally. _They're just reenacting something. Like when one of us is scolded before being sent to the Box. That cold, dark Box. But it's not really happening. It's not happening. It's not happening._

And then, something else happened.

"He rescued me," they screamed, jumping from behind the large rock and barreling towards them. Chara threw themself between the towering monster king and Asriel. "Don't put him in the Box! I'll-"

"I'm fine," Asriel whispered. "Dad just gets loud when he's scared. Or happy. Or snoring."

When Chara heard those first two words, all of their attention went to the figure in front of them. Their cheeks twitched as a somewhat familiar fear wrapped around them like an old friend. They knew that look of an impending attack, but there was something else behind the monster king's eyes. After a moment, they realized that along with the calculated look that did not put extermination out of the realm of possibility, there was doubt. The same thing which kept Chara from attacking and finishing their mission.

"Why are you here," the monster king asked, his booming voice sounding like a judge announcing a death sentence.

"Isn't that what everyone wonders," Chara responded. They licked their lips, tasting tears that apparently were still falling down their cheeks. _Great_ , they thought. _I'm pre-seasoning myself for this monster's meal._

"Why is a young human like yourself alone here? This mountain was to be forbidden after we were trapped here by **_your kind_**." The monster king snarled the last two words. Chara caught a glimpse of the mother moving to their side. No weapon appeared to be in her hand, but they could tell that this could easily turn into a two-on-one-slaughter.

"Good question," Chara responded, trying to remember to breathe while calculating how to die while inflicting the greatest amount of damage. "They were about to send one of the other Children, and for some reason, I volunteered to go instead."

"Who would send a child alone to their enemies," the mother gasped, both empty hands covering her mouth.

"Humans who valued money over other humans," Chara replied with a carefully edited version of the truth. "I thought I could go instead of her." They gasped as the memory of that younger Fallen Child seemed to drain every bit of oxygen from their lungs.

"Are you sure you're a human," the king asked, his voice beginning to soften again.

Chara nodded. "Why?"

"Because I thought only monsters could show such kindness." The monster king's smile sent confusion so deep into Chara that it bordered on terror.

"Can we keep 'em," Asriel asked.

"We'll see," the king chuckled as the mother smiled.


	5. You Should Be Just Fine

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! If the winter weather is harsh where you are, take care of yourself! Maybe get yourself a nice bowl of soup, an Undertale fan fic, and *cough cough*** **leave a review for that fan fic *cough cough*** **enjoy.**

 **(Thank you to the guest who left the first review for this story. If I can make something that people enjoy, then I see that as it going well. :) )**

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Chara sat in their chair at the dinner table, their face washed clean, their spine so rigid that removing the chair back wouldn't have made a difference. They jumped occasionally at faint message notifications from their cellphones which were prohibited at the dinner table but not set to silent. The smell of bread and two cooked species of poultry both tantalized Chara and caused them to tense up. The Caretakers had been careful to correct any Fallen Child who took food prepared by an enemy. If the Child took any, even after they finished their punishment of being denied rations, they were quickly beaten and penalized an extra day with nothing in their stomach save gnawing pain.

"Monsters process food differently than humans do," the mother began (whom Chara learned was named "Toriel") "but our scientist told us that our food itself isn't very different than human food."

Chara stared ahead in hyper-vigilance, their hand tightly grasping Asriel's hand.

"So," she continued as the food on the table began to grow cold, "if you weren't allergic to any food in your land, you should be just fine."

Silence. Asriel looked between his awkwardly quiet mother and his wary father, King Asgore. He looked back at his mother, giving a nervous half-smile and shrug.

"Maybe Chara needs soup before they can eat normal food," he suggested.

Toriel looked up for a moment before nodding in agreement to the idea. "I'll heat up some of the soup we had for lunch," she said before excusing herself to the kitchen. Asriel thought that it felt strange for his parents to be so quiet, especially when they were in the same room. But having his hand held by his new friend made the meal not an unpleasant one.

Chara stared ahead, continually telling themself that the young monster would make a handy meat-shield as long as he was within arm's reach. That keeping a grip on him would be a convenient way to make sure they could have a hostage on standby if the need arose. Their train of thought derailed when they felt Asriel's fingers move, wrapping soft fur around their own hand. They inhaled sharply through their nose, unsure why their heartbeat was increasing as their muscles began to relax. Risking a sideways glance at Asgore, they noticed that there was a fire going in the fireplace. No wonder it feels so warm in here, they thought.

"It's ready," Toriel called out, quickly entering the room with a cooking pot. Chara gave a shout and grabbed Asriel's arm with their other hand.

"Oh," she whispered, slowly walking to the table and using a lower tone of voice. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," she took of the lid with a smile and extravagant pose, "soup-prise you."

It began with Asgore. He gave a snort, and Chara stared in wonder at how fast this enemy seemed to transform back into a husband and father. Then Toriel began to change, her quiet tone quickly abandoned for uproarious laughter at her own pun. Chara looked at Asriel who was staring back at them and let go with both hands, ashamed that their reflex was to seek shelter than to face the surprise intruder.

Asriel's shoulders sunk. At least his father was snorting and laughing at his mother's puns like normal. He took a deep breath and moved his chair closer to Chara's until their sides were touching. "Try the soup," he suggested. "It stays delicious for days."

Few things were making sense to Chara, except that the soup was deemed edible, and that their hand was feeling a little cold.

"Let's start with this," said Toriel as she poured a small serving, "and see how you feel from there. Just make sure to eat slowly."

Chara held Asriel's hand again and ate the soup with their free hand. _Slow is okay_ , they thought.


	6. Soldiers Like You

**Author's Note: Hello, again! I hope you enjoy this next chapter! As there are things to take care of at work and I'm going to go on vacation soon to visit a friend, I don't expect to post another chapter for at least the next week. But in the mean time, enjoy, and please leave a review letting me know why you want me to post another chapter at all. Or how I need to approach this story in the future to keep from common writer's pitfalls. That works, too. :)**

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"Thanks for dinner, mom," said Asriel, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

"Manners, Asriel," Toriel chided while gesturing to the untouched napkin by Asriel's bowl. "Use your napkin, not your robes. That goes for you, too, Fluffy."

Asgore froze in place, his sleeve at his mouth. Without moving his arm he took his napkin with his other hand, wiped the remaining soup from his mouth, and carefully laid the napkin on his sleeve atop the evidence of his bad habit.

"You know, I should just not wash that, just to teach you a lesson," Toriel sighed, gathering her own dishes and standing up.

"I'm sorry," Asgore said meekly as she walked towards the kitchen behind his chair. "I guess I need to clean up my act!"

Toriel stopped in her tracks, her groan muffled by her pursed lips. She then took a step backwards, spun on her heels, and gave him a kiss on his temple.

"You stole my line," she muttered. She gave him another kiss on the nose before walking to the kitchen and chuckling. Asgore smiled and used the napkin and a bit of water from his cup to clean his sleeve before any stains could set. Chara stared at themself in the shiny, empty soup bowl. Asriel's mother and father kept doing things that bewildered them.

The only adults at the House were the Caretakers and the occasional mother and father who would arrive with a child and leave one fewer.

Any interaction between adults were either promises of money, silence, or status reports.

Any kindness between the Fallen Children had to be kept in utmost secrecy.

Any camaraderie beyond accomplishing team tasks was punished.

Chara had long since resigned themself to the gradual loss of what little bit of a soul they had left, the culmination of which would undoubtedly mark their status as an adult. Nothing left but power and determination inhabiting a body.

 _They must be physically-matured monsters_ , Chara wondered. _So why do they still care about anything?_

"They love each other," Asriel said. Chara glanced sideways at him, nervously locking away any other thoughts he might have heard. "They act like normal monsters when Dad's busy with helping everybody in the kingdom, but they get all weird and stuff whenever we visit here. I asked Mom about why they act so difference once, and that's what she told me: 'We love each other,'" he said, slowly repeating an answer that gave Chara even more questions.

"Son," Asgore said, causing the two young ones to look up defensively, "why don't you help your mother with some of the dishes?"

"Okay," Asriel replied, hopping out of his chair, about to lead Chara to the kitchen. They looked at Asgore and pulled their hand away.

"Actually, I'll go with you in a minute. The kitchen's over there, right? I," they looked at Asgore, "I need to ask the king something first."

"Oh. Uh, okay." Asriel picked up his dishes and quickly went to the kitchen. Chara turned in their chair, keeping one hand close to the knife which was still behind their back.

"Do you think I didn't see your weapon," Asgore asked softly, leaning back in his chair, his chest vulnerable. Chara grabbed the knife hilt. "I've only seen pictures of soldiers like you."

"What," they whispered as the ability to breathe slipped their mind for a moment. One of the mantras of the House was that secrets mean safety.

"Not of human soldiers, of course." Chara tried to keep their relief silent. "But back in the war. Paintings of soldiers, like…" He leaned forward, elbows on the table as his intertwined fingers made a platform for his chin. "What always got me was the eyes. How could they be so dead-set and yet, well, dead? Of course not all of the soldiers were like that, but most of them weren't notable enough to have a portrait commissioned. Now tell me, soldier, what could cause someone to become like that?" Chara leaned back a bit, holding the back of their chair with their free hand. If they answered, maybe it would make it easier to finish the mission sooner than later.

"Need," they answered. Asgore tilted his head in interest, so they continued. "The need to serve the kingdom. The need to protect others. The need to stop danger at all stages and at all cost."

"'Others' is a bit of a vague term, soldier," the king countered. "Even the most noble of us have specific faces in mind, and protecting everyone else is simply an added bonus. So tell me, whose face is in your mind?"

Faces and voices came and went freely in their mind as their resolve seemed to both harden and weaken. They remained silent. They blinked slowly, leaning slightly to the empty chair next to them. When they opened their eyes, the one they saw instead was the monster king, mere inches from their nose.

"I know who I'm protecting, young pup," he snarled. "When you have lived as long as I have, more faces come to mind. If any of them were injured, justice would be swift. And if you betray him, well, I might be inclined to live out a few negative stereotypes."

"Dad?" Asgore turned his head to see Asriel staring, wide-eyed. "What's going on?"

Asgore quickly slipped the knife out of Chara's clutched fist and said, "Are you sure we should trust a thief who tried to take one of my grandfather's war prizes?" Turning to Chara with a shallower anger, he shouted, "I don't know how you got this from me, and I don't care if it was made by your kind. This is an heirloom of my family, and I will not tolerate thieves!" Chara stared as his eyes gave a final message: _We can be allies, soldier, if you can prove yourself._


	7. You Can't Sleep, Either

**Author's Note: Hope y'all like this chapter! Enjoy, leave a review, and have a happy Chinese New Year!**

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Chara jogged in place by their cot in the greenhouse by the royal vacation home. It wasn't, in some regards, much of an improvement over the sleeping quarters at the House, through it was a vast improvement over the king's original plans. Being surrounded by different varieties of plants and herbs kept alive by buzzing lights was a welcome addition to their nightly routine, and a vast improvement over Asgore's idea of making them sleep outside until they proved themself an ally.

But there was still so much darkness nearby. Who knew that being sent to a dark, underground place meant that you'd have to be in a dark, underground place? Jogging kept the anxiety at bay somewhat, as did going back and forth in a space bigger than the Box.

There was a tap at the window. Chara slapped their hands over their mouth but couldn't stop a muffled scream of fright from escaping through their fingers. Whipping around in the direction of the sound, their eyes went from wide-eyed fright to narrow-eyed annoyance as Asriel stood there, waving apologetically.

"You can't sleep, either," he said, silently mouthing the question. Chara shook their head. _And thanks to you, I won't be able to sleep for a week,_ they thought bitterly.

"Can I come in," Asriel asked, motioning to the door. Chara took their hands from their mouth and nodded.

"Misery loves company," they muttered, remembering the familiar phrase first spoken by an unfamiliar voice. "What's that," they added, noticing some bunched up cloth under his arm, the purple contrasting with the blue pajamas he wore.

Asriel avoided eye contact with Chara. He wasn't sure why, but he felt like the wrong word could expose how foolish he was to bring a blanket to the creature whose ancestors doomed his ancestors to eternity in this vast cave. If he played it cool, he could pretend that he didn't look like an absolute idiot.

"I, um, you're new here-" _Of course they are, you idiot_ , Asriel screamed internally, "- so you probably didn't know that it gets colder this time of year. I figured you'd love-" Asriel's mental shriek was off the charts, "-like! I thought you'd like a blanket! I mean, not like like, but…" he stared straight at the ground, holding the blanket towards Chara with both hands. "Do you want this blanket or not?"

Chara reached towards him, delaying a verbal answer until they could eliminate any possibility of the harmless-looking blanket being laced with any unseen dangers. They unfolded the blanket, looking at it and shaking it slightly. They ran their hand over the material, the second-softest thing they ever felt. It was nice, really.

"Yes, this will help me stay warm," Chara finally said once the harmless blanket had proven itself.

"I'm glad," Asriel responded politely, still looking down to hide how much he meant those words. He had been glad that his pajamas were keeping him warm outside of the house, but now he felt even hotter than the sweater he was wearing when he first met Chara a few hours before. But an image flashed in his mind. An image that was missing something and included something else. Asriel looked up as the cold night air found its way back to him again.

"So, the other humans sent you on a journey in place of that girl," he asked.

"Yes," they answered, somewhat truthfully.

"They would probably be worried if they knew where they sent you was actually near our land."

"Probably," Chara whispered. This conversation wasn't going well. "I heard stories that the area might be dangerous, which is why I volunteered to go."

Asriel's eyes began to sting and he rubbed them. _So you_ did _go for a reason, huh_ , he thought. He hoped that he could wipe away the truth as well. But the painful emotions emanating from this human, the lack of any supplies, the knife his father claimed was a family heirloom, all were just as real as the person standing in front of him. Wishing he could scream, he could only whisper:

"When are you planning to kill my father?"


	8. You Will Not Disrespect Her

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I'm back from my trip and ready to write! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please make sure to leave a review. :)**

* * *

"I don't know what you're talking about," Chara replied in a carefully measured voice. It wasn't a complete lie, as they were more confused than anything. How did this kind monster even know about the terrible- Chara swallowed. How did this young thing figured out my mission to assassinate the monster king?

"Were you planning to do it tonight," Asriel asked, his shoulders weighed down.

"I think you just need to go to bed," Chara said, trying to manage a smile. They would see the Caretakers smile before they dispersed to their posts, so they figured it was worth a shot to make this all stop. Asriel's wide eyes and step back made them think that smiling was one of those things you should practice first, and quickly stopped. "Listen, I am grateful for being given food and shelter. And the soup made by the other one-"

" ** _My mother has a name_** ," he whispered harshly, his teeth bared, nostrils flaring. He raised one hand slowly, showing claws that Chara hadn't seen before. They began to shift into fighting position but stopped when Asriel's hand turned, five claw-tipped fingers turning into a single accusatory finger pointed at them. "You will **_not_** disrespect her by referring to her so coldly."

"Okay, fair enough," Chara replied, hands raised in surrender. "What am I allowed to call her?"

Asriel furrowed his brow, recalling the strange conversation he had with his mother in the kitchen after dinner. Her smile that only appeared when she was fighting to smile. Her explanation that the simple spell she made might be the magic this human needs, if they repeated it often enough.

"She said to call her 'Goat Mom.'"

"Really," Chara chuckled. Asriel nodded.

"And when my father, the king, goes back to his business, you'd better do as she says."

"I'll make sure to remember that," Chara laughed.

"Breakfast will be in a few hours, so I'm going back to the house." Asriel turned away and left, sighing that even after realizing their intentions, he still hoped his mother's simple spell would work. That Chara would be deemed safe enough to let stay in the same house. He bit his cheek to keep from smiling.

As Asriel disappeared around the corner, Chara's laughter became more frantic, barely muffled by their hands. Their education included vocabulary such as familial terms. But the last time they tried to actually use one of those words for one of the kinder Caretakers, the punishment lasted for at least an hour and that Caretaker was "relocated." And now they were being required to use another one of those forbidden words in order to stay close to the target, to continue receiving food and shelter. They closed their eyes, imagining they were holding that name in their hands in front of the iron box which held every other dangerous thing. The name in their hands was the same color as the soup they had for dinner, and seemed impossibly big for the box. But it had to fit. Everything else did.

They looked over the two words one last time before putting them away.

"Goat Mom," they whispered, reading it aloud. Speaking those words both froze and burned them as the tears began to flow.

That night brought only a single dream: Chara floating in a salt-water lake, clinging to those two words as the trusted iron box turned enemy and tried to pull them down.


	9. I Had To

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Hope you're doing well and staying healthy! *knock on wood* I hoped you enjoy this next chapter, and please take the time to leave a review so I can have a little more encouragement to keep writing. :) (Or if you see something that's keeping this story from being its absolute best.)**

* * *

"... not saying that we should execute the human," came a distant voice, causing a barely awake Asriel to grip his blankets tightly. A pinch on his hand proved to him that this wasn't a dream. He strained his ears to hear if his father gave any further explanations, but was instead met with his mother's voice.

"Then what are you saying, Your Majesty?"

Asriel pressed his lips together, remembering how angry she usually gets when she uses those two words on his father.

"I, well, I thought we could just send the human back."

Silence.

"Send them back," Toriel repeated.

"Yes!"

"This isn't a box of Temmie Flakes you can send back for a refund. This is a young human who has seen more of our land than any other human in decades!"

Silence.

"Then what are _you_ saying, Tori," Asgore asked slowly, each word like a step across a frozen lake.

Silence, broken by a single word whispered by Asriel again and again.

"No. No. No. No. No."

"You know the prophecy," Toriel answered.

"So," Asgore asked. After a moment, there was a loud thud. "No," he whispered harshly. "You swore you would never-"

"Did I have any choice? I thought these feelings were just my imagination until I saw a vision of the human arriving. I had to give you that dream to-" Toriel gasped, "to stop the rest of what I saw from coming true."

Asriel's own eyes burned as he heard the tears in his mother's voice.

"Let me guess," Asgore said, his voice carrying various shades of emotion. "You saw me kill the human where he stood?"

Asriel covered his mouth, forcing his cries into quiet exhales and leaving his ears unguarded against his mother's crying and hyperventilation. After a minute, her cries died down into whimpers and noisy breathing.

"Do I have to like my mind being manipulated in my most vulnerable state," Asgore asked, his voice cracking.

"I never said you **_did_** ," Toriel said, her volume at the last word a full-on shout. "I wanted to show you what I hoped might happen."

Asriel quietly got out of bed, letting the wet fur on his face bear witness to his tears. Toriel's shout was the perfect excuse to let them know he was awake.

"So all of that was you," Asgore asked. "You… You saw a lot, didn't you? No, Tori, no. You don't have to tell me everything you saw. Come 'ere."

Asriel peeked around the corner and saw his parents embracing.

"But I am curious," Asgore added. "Did you see Asriel?"

"No," she chuckled, pulling away to show a small smile, "everything he's done has actually been a surprise for me, too."

"But if this human, if Chara, can be like they were in my dream…"

"I'm sure we couldn't ask for a better-" Toriel's eyes went wide for a moment as she saw Asriel standing in the doorway, "- _friend_ for our son. Our son who apparently didn't come find us when he needed us. Oh." She knelt down beside him. "Did we make a lot of noise and scare you?"

Asriel nodded quietly. He didn't like to lie if he didn't have to.

"We're sorry, kiddo," Asgore said, quickly embracing his son. "Do you want to talk right now, or do you want to go back to sleep and talk in the morning?"

"Can Mother tuck me in," he asked, still holding on to his father.

"Of course," Toriel smiled, brushing her fingers over her cheeks to undo the streaks her tears had left in her fur. Asgore stood up and she kissed him. "I'm sorry I didn't talk to you instead. I let my fear make me forget who you are."

"I'm sorry," he said, giving her a kiss. "I probably didn't give you a lot of reasons to think that discussing this would've worked." He rubbed Asriel's head, flopping the child's small ears side to side. "And I'm sorry I made a lot of noise. I don't let you throw tantrums, so I shouldn't either."

"And I'm sorry, too," Toriel said, giving her son a hug. "Come on. I think that the both of us need to practice our relaxation."

After about an hour of Toriel softly reminding Asriel when and how slowly to breathe in and out, he had a dream made of all the soft and gentle images his mother had narrated to him while breathing. He slept smiling, even as his father's snoring seeped its way into his sleeping mind.


	10. I Heard You

**Author's Note: Enjoy! And don't forget to leave a review! :)**

* * *

The iron box which weighed Chara down by their leg began to grow chains like vines and wrap around nearly their entire body. Their legs could only move as one,

They struggled as the weight succeeded in pulling them into the salty water. The two precious words they held on to didn't escape Chara's grasp, but what was once salvation floating above certain death could only serve as companion as the child's body was dragged into the dark lake. They squirmed around, almost like a mythical water-creature. They tried to scream, but the force of the deep pressed upon them, tighter and tighter. They dug their nails into those two words, and tried again. If they were going to die, they would speak that name which had kept them afloat.

"Goat Mom," they screamed.

The box continued to pull as those words seemed to take Chara upwards with unnatural speed. Just as they were sure that they would be torn in two at the waist, they woke up in their bed, breathing heavily. They tried to sit up and walk around, but their legs refused to separate. They began to pant and whimper, their hands searching in the low light for those words. Instead, those trembling hands found the soft blanket wrapped tightly around the lower half of their body.

Chara began to breathe slowly as they manipulated the blanket from around their legs and feet.

They laid back down, too tired to stop the tears of frustration from falling. They had shelter, yet their heart was pounding in terror. It was a familial word which brought punishment all those years before, yet it was a familial word which brought them out of that nightmare. What exhausted them most was that while there was a possibility of this all coming from manipulative monster magic trying to warp them, they wondered if succumbing to that calming deception would be such a bad way to go.

They wiped away the tears from their face and the tears that had pooled in their ears. Dinner had been delicious, and this family was kinder than most humans they knew. If human flesh was on a future menu, they seemed like they preferred to kill their prey quickly. None of the Fallen Children believed that most Caretakers knew the meaning of "quick and painless."

They saw the shadows of the plants being cast even higher and turned their head. Opposite of the long shadows was a small glowing light, bouncing along in the air like a human jogging. As the figure came closer, they saw that it was Toriel, jogging towards the greenhouse in a blue nightgown. Something was at the hems and sleeves, but it was too dark to tell.

"Goat Mom," they whispered, smiling as the tears threatened to make a comeback. Death be damned; it felt good to at least pretend that they had a parent, someone who would love them.

Toriel stopped jogging and took a deep breath as if she were about to speak quickly or loudly. She paused, and instead spoke slowly and quietly as she walked slowly to one of the glass walls of the greenhouse.

"I heard you call for me. What happened?"

They wanted to tell her that they were okay. That they just had a weird dream, but they can get to sleep just fine. That there was no need to worry. That it was weird that she would care about someone as suspicious as them. That they would like some of the soup from dinner if there was any more.

But all that came from their mouth was a guttural cry that wouldn't stop. Even when there was little breath left in their lungs, their chest began to cave in almost to the point of fracturing. They kept looking at Toriel outside of the greenhouse, unable to do little else but stare and sob, their body possessed by grief of unknown origins.

They weren't sure why Toriel didn't raise her voice to be heard, but instead gestured.

"Can I come in?"

Chara nodded their head. At least they could control their head.

Toriel came in, her face and pace as calm as if they wasn't screaming like an animal in a trap. She made another gesture, silently asking if it was okay for her to sit down on the bed with them. Chara answered by moving over a bit and patting the bed. They still couldn't stop crying, but it felt good to regain control of their body little by little.

"Do you want to just want to sit together," she asked once their crying quieted down into occasional moans.

Chara shook their head, looking down at the blankets which now seemed a bit smoother than before.

"Do you want to talk?"

They shook their head more emphatically. They wanted something they were too afraid to ask for.

"Do you want a hug?"

Chara looked up to see her kind eyes looking on them. They could tell that her last question wasn't a wild guess, but an invitation. Somehow, she knew. Their face contorted as high-pitched whines were barely contained by their closed mouth. They nodded so emphatically that their chin knocked on their chest. She opened her arms and Chara launched at her, clinging to her with every last ounce of strength they had left. Hugs at the House were secret, forbidden things. But they knew that even if everyone else was awake, she would've offered a hug to them anyway. They felt Toriel pick them up, scoot to one end of the bed, and make a light thud against the headboard of the bed.

"I've got you," Toriel cooed. "Go ahead and get some sleep." She then whispered some of the same breathing exercises and peaceful imagery that she did with Asriel, making sure to include everything she had ever read about beautiful things that grow on the Surface.

* * *

Asriel woke up and went to see if the commotion in the kitchen was his mother cooking breakfast.

"Mother! I had the funniest dream last night," he said, turning to walk into the kitchen. He stopped when he saw it was his father sautéing water sausages while wearing his "Cooking King" apron.

"If you want your mother," Asgore said, keeping an eye on the skillet, "I think she went to check on the human. Chara, right? After she put you to bed, she said she heard them calling for her and went to check. I guess she was right, because she didn't come back in."

"Did she sleep at all," Asriel asked.

"Oh, you know your mother. She'd sell her right arm to help the tiniest temmie, so she ran out as soon as she thought Chara was in trouble." He stopped for a moment, took the skillet off the fire and knelt in front of his son. "What are you thinking?"

"Mother. She's, she must be very tired." He was looking down, embarrassed.

"Look at me, son," said Asgore, stooping his head down further to Asriel's level. Once they had eye contact, he continued. "Your mother chose to help you get to sleep. She chose to check on Chara. And I guess she chose to stay up with Chara. If she needs to sleep, we can take care of your friend and the house so she can take a nice, long nap. Okay?"

"Okay," Asriel said, nodding and smiling. He dashed off to make sure she remembered to put his dirty clothes away so that his mother would have one less thing to worry about.

* * *

Toriel snored softly, her back settled against the headboard as Chara was settled in on her lap, deep asleep. She chuckled and muttered, "You're so sweet, Asriel," before drifting off again.


	11. I See

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoy this next chapter! And please leave a review! It's really encouraging to hear that people actually enjoy this story, and it's helpful to know ways to make it even better.**

* * *

"But how did you hear me," Chara asked Toriel, resting their elbows on their knees as they leaned forward in their seat. Water from helping with the dishes dripped from their fingertips onto their shoes. "I wasn't even in this house." The two of them sat in sofa chairs by the fire while Asriel and Asgore were busy working on a project in the shed. Chara wasn't yet comfortable with letting anyone else know what they went through the night before.

"I heard because you called me," Toriel answered matter-of-factly. She squinted her eyes slightly and leaned forward. "You meant that humans can't hear when someone calls them?"

"No, they can," they explained, "but that usually only works if the two people are physically close enough." Chara thought for a moment about how to convey ideas they weren't sure had a correlation for monsters. "If they're too far away from each other, many humans have devices to help communicate over long distances. Many of them are small and have shining lights-"

"Like cellphones?"

Chara stopped and stared. "Like what now," they asked.

"Cellphones," she repeated, readjusting herself in her seat to get to her pocket. She pulled out a light purple flip-phone shaped like an egg that had been stretched slightly. A small string of white crystals was secured somehow near the short antennae. "My phone is a little old, but it does well enough for calls and text messages. Some have insisted that I need a more advanced phone to watch videos or play games, but isn't that what computers are for?"

The small phone, simple yet beautiful, seemed quite appropriate for her in Chara's eyes. But while they were amused, they were also somewhat concerned. All their life, the mandated documentaries showed monsters as being similar to humans and animals. A mix of the worst parts of both, with no intelligence to regulate themselves or unite in anything other than battle and proliferation of their species. _Why do they know what cellphones and games are_ , they wondered.

"Because we enjoy fun things, too," Toriel said.

Chara jumped up out of their chair and took a few steps backwards, pointing at Toriel.

"How did you do that," they shouted.

"This explanation might go a little more smoothly if you trust me. Do you trust me?"

They looked at her as the tension was punctuated by the logs crackling and popping in the fire. In the chair across from them was a monster asking to be trusted. An advocate. An enemy with mysterious power. In that chair was a mother who came running when a child she had never born had had a nightmare.

"Maybe," they finally answered.

"We can work with 'maybe,'" she said, smiling. "If you trust me and want to continue standing, that's fine. If your answer is still 'maybe' but you want to sit back down, that's fine. But getting back to the explanation; what have you learned about monsters and our ability to use magic?"

"I've always learned that monster magic was strictly for battle purposes, while the body of a monster is comprised of various types of magic." They tried to keep their mind quiet until they could understand a little more about this confusing being before them.

"Well no wonder you were surprised that monsters enjoy fun things. Fighting and existing? That sounds pretty boring to me. Did you know that we can use our abilities for things other than fighting?" Chara could only raise their eyebrows in response. "Different abilities exist, and some monsters have similar abilities while others are quite unique. Asriel's ability is actually quite similar to my own, which is why we divide his schooling between the kingdom's school and lessons at home. He still has a ways to go before he can bring it under control and strengthen it."

"What ability is that," Chara asked, both intrigued by and wary of this secret side of Asriel.

* * *

"How are they doing, son," Asgore asked as he stripped the dirt off some mushrooms he had picked for lunch. Asriel looked back at the house and tilted his head.

"Chara's really surprised, but they're a lot more calm than I thought they'd be."

"Okay. Just let me know when you think the conversation between your mother and the human is about finished and we'll head back."

"They have a name," Asriel said, quickly putting his hand over his mouth that spoke so disrespectfully to his father. "The human's name is Chara," he added in a whisper between his fingers, his hand hiding a smile that grew as he finished speaking.

"Sorry," Asgore replied with a smirk. "The conversation between your mother and Chara."

"Okay," Asriel agreed, turning his attention to help his father gather things for lunch.

* * *

"Basically," Toriel explained, "our ability- Asriel's and mine- it centers around perception and understanding. That's how I could hear you call for me. And if I'm not mistaken, you've encountered Asriel's ability once or twice at dinner." Chara's eyes went wide as she chuckled. "I'm sorry, but it was just so cute how," she paused and changed topics. "Thankfully, while Asriel hasn't learned how to control when and what he can perceive, there are still some things that he either cannot yet understand, or takes him longer to understand."

Chara stood there, staring past her as they remembered Asriel's sudden turn from kind and cuddly host to scared and defensive monster. They brought themselves back to the moment and decided it was worth it to ask.

"What have you seen about me?"

"I usually see others like buildings," she answered. "Because with hotels, restaurants, what-have-you, only," she sighed, "only desperate people would force their way in like criminals. But normal folks are either allowed in or decide to walk by and make guesses on what can be seen from outside. If a place is open or closed, if there's a big crowd inside, and so on. And you," she paused, trying to pick her words carefully, "honestly, I see a building that I would like to help shape into something happier. Where every good thing is dusted off and displayed and every dark place lit up. But I knew from the moment I saw you that if I came closer than you wanted, I would do more harm than good."

"Is that what's King Asgore saw? A pathetic building with a giant 'Keep Out' sign on the front?" Chara continued to stay standing, spitting out the second question as they leaned against the chair. They weren't sure what to do with the brief feeling of catharsis they had when a glimmer of hurt showed in Toriel's eyes.

"I'm not sure if he saw someone alone and in pain or not. Perception isn't his forte," she looked off to the side as if rehearing her words and shrugged it off, "but he does well even though his ability for perception is fairly average. He takes what he's learned and believes that the past often repeats itself. Any way he sees you is probably because you remind him of others he has known."

"He must have had some weird relationships before," they commented. They gestured with their head towards the chair and Toriel nodded. "But it's not like I haven't known some crazy people," they said, sitting back down in the chair.

"Haven't we all?"

"We've got some snails for lunch," Asgore called out from the back door, his thundering footsteps almost overpowering some cheerful banter with his son.

"Listen," Toriel said, leaning forward. "This is merely our vacation home. We're due to go back to our real home tomorrow. I hope you can see that yes, everyone is at least a little crazy. And many of them," she smiled, "are the fun kind of crazy. Speaking of which..." She turned her attention to Asgore, wearing casual clothes instead of his robes from the day before. The clothes had varying levels of mud, but his feet were impeccably clean under his upturned pants legs.

"Were you talking about me," he asked, smiling.

"Oh, don't worry," she said, standing up and giving him a kiss on a clean area of his face. "It was only bad things."

"Oh, good," he said, giving a bellowing laugh. He looked at a confused Chara and added, "We're just being silly. We like to joke around."

"I see," they said, nodding. They didn't, but they wondered if they one day might.


	12. I Have to Focus

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Hope you're doing well. If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave Temmie some Temmie Flakes!**

 **Temmie = me**

 **Temmie Flakes = reviews**

* * *

The four of them walked through the large tunnel, further and further from where Chara first entered the cave. They were thankful that some of the glowing mushrooms they saw earlier seemed even more abundant on the walls around them. Toriel led the way as Asgore brought up the rear, leaving Chara and Asriel in the middle, side-by-side.

"Is your cart too heavy for you," Asriel asked Chara. They took a handful of berries from their pouch and stuffed them in their mouth, shaking their head. Pulling the carts which held everyone's luggage (as well as boxes with unknown contents) was actually hard work, but they did everything they could to hide it. The snacks which were divided amongst everyone until their next pit stop gave Chara the perfect cover. If their mouth was full of food, then they could disguise their panting as breathing through their nose. If Asriel didn't keep asking questions.

"I don't know a lot about humans. Do humans travel and take vacations, too?"

"Mmm-hmmm-mmmm," Chara mumbled, shrugging. _I have to focus_ , they thought.

"Are you sure that you're okay?"

"Mmmh," they answered, gritting the berries in their teeth and nodding emphatically. _I'm not going to be weaker than any monsters!_

"Why don't we take a break," Toriel suggested. "It's starting to feel a little colder, so we might as well get our coats on now." Chara finally swallowed their snack, eager to lower their cart handle to the ground for at least a moment.

"Good idea," they replied, rubbing their sweat-soaked sleeves. "I was starting to feel a little chilly myself."

"Here," said Asriel, holding a yellow jacket towards them. "You can wear this one."

Chara looked at the soup-colored jacket and decided to let their smile show. For a moment.

"What about you," they asked. Asriel shook his head.

"Mother said that I should bring both of my jackets before we left the Castle. Good thing, right?"

They shot a glance at Toriel who only smiled and shrugged before going back to helping Asgore get his zipper unstuck. Chara reached an arm out to Asriel to take the jacket, but found their arm encased in its loose-fitting sleeve. They looked back to see that Asriel had quickly circled behind them, helping them get into the jacket. They adjusted their other arm to aid in the process. Asriel walked back in front of Chara and took the ends of the jacket.

"This jacket is a little old, and the zipper's gotten a little rusty. Let me help you with this." His fingers were unexpectedly nimble with the small zipper, bringing the jacket to a complete close while Asgore grumbled about his clothes getting caught again. "There," said Asriel, fastening the gold button at the collar.

Chara couldn't help but stare, even when Asriel caught them. Especially when his gaze met their own. They were rarely noticed outside of mealtimes and disciplinary sessions, the latter often due to "Corruption of Military Property via Unapproved Communication." If they themself had ever been cared for, it must have been before their memories began to form. Though they sometimes saw infant Fallen Children carefully fed, patience from the Caretakers was a privilege they all lost with age. Chara tried to make up for this with the younger Fallen Children, but they could not always succeed in evading the Caretakers' notice.

Looking at this young ally, this friendly Asriel, someone who actually cared for them so much when they could do so little. They reached for his jacket sleeve, knowing they wanted to do something, but that wasn't it. Holding his sleeve wasn't enough They ran through other options in their head as they felt that same nervous relaxation as they did the previous night at dinner. _Shout? No. Hug him like Toriel hugged me? Maybe?_ Their eyes wandered down at Asriel's slight smile and realized what they wanted. The new desire churning in their heart. As his lips drew together, Chara's heart began to beat even faster than when they struggled to pull the cart.

"Boop!" Asriel tapped Chara's nose with his finger. They yelped and he laughed while putting on a green jacket. "I think Father and Mother are ready to continue onwards. Be careful, though," he said, picking his cart handle up off of the ground. "We're heading somewhere where there are some slippery patches, so just hold on to my cart if you need something solid to hold on to."

"Good idea," Chara said, getting their snack pouch out of their pants pocket and shoving a larger handful of berries into their mouth, the juice exploding on their tongue with a swift bite. They began to increase their pace, almost knocking into Toriel's back, as even their eyelids seemed to radiate heat. Asriel bit his lips and tried to keep pace with Chara. _But they were looking right at us_ , he thought.

* * *

The change was pretty sudden.

"The faster we walk, the faster we can get somewhere to warm up," Asgore called out, making an exaggerated shuddering sound after the temperature took a nosedive.

"Oh, hush," Toriel called out from the front. "We'll head to Grillby's as soon as we drop our things off at the hotel."

Asgore gave an excited cheer as they exited the tunnel into a wide, white expanse.

"Mother," Asriel said. Toriel, checking to see that the path down had not been damaged or iced over during their vacation, stopped her inspection and returned to the other three.

"Have you never seen snow before," she asked, chuckling. Chara continued to stare at the expanse before them.

After a few moments of staring at the trees covered in what was presumably snow- the only other time they were allowed to accompany a Caretaker outside of the House was during a very humid summer- they could only manage one word for this muted world aglow with otherwise invisible luminescent mushrooms. In the distance, past Chara's comprehension of the spectacularly vast space, were small lights of various colors.

"How," they whispered.

"Who knows and who cares with such beauty as this," Asgore answered, giving Chara a friendly pat on the shoulder. They flinched and yelped, causing him to jerk his hand back. He looked at a slightly annoyed Toriel who formed her hands in the shape of a heart and motioned towards Chara with her head. Asgore raised his eyebrows and lowered his head slightly in embarrassment. Toriel's face softened and he smiled.

"I didn't mean to startle you, kid," Asgore added. He turned his attention back to Toriel. "Tori, if the path looks fine, let's go ahead and continue on. I want to see if the hotel still has those holiday cookies!"

"When do they not," Toriel laughed as she began to lead the group around the occasional ice patch. Chara, their cheeks still warm, moved closer to Asriel.

"What was that gesture," they whispered.

"Oh, that? Well, Father gets excited sometimes and doesn't always think about others. Sometimes he accidentally scares some of the monsters that Mother is trying to help."

"Help?"

"Some monsters ask for Mother's help because their hearts are hurting. They only talk to her if she promises not to repeat anything that isn't dangerous, so that gesture means 'their heart is hurting.' So whatever happened before is something that usually hurts them more so we should be more mindful of doing that thing around them. I, uh, Mother has had to do that gesture with me before. But maybe if I try hard, I can be more sensitive to what other monsters need. I want to help others someday like she does."

"Oh, okay."

Asriel furrowed his brows at the unexpectedly short reply. _Chara really isn't much on words_ , he thought.


	13. I'll Keep That in Mind

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Please leave a review. :)**

* * *

As the four of them continued to pull their carts, the snow began to cover the pathway more and more. The snow at either side was always higher than where they walked, causing shadows to outline a path that was both present and invisible. The snow before them never rose more than a few inches above their feet, but as traction began to reduce, they stopped the procession yet again. Asriel pulled Chara to the side as Toriel and Asgore moved the carts into a straight line. When his own cart was put into position, he leaned over the side and fished out a small leather bag. He waved Chara over while producing three ropes with hooks fashioned at either end.

"We need to connect these roped to the carts so we can get through the snow. Here," he handed them one, "there's a hook on the back of each cart, underneath. One end goes on the cart, the other end goes on the handle of the other cart." He quickly turned to secure two other carts together, leaving Chara to their own work.

 _Oh, look. They trust you. Silly things._

Chara tightened their jaw, trying to push the thought away. It sounded an awful lot like the Caretaker who wanted to send a much younger and less experienced Fallen Child to assassinate the monster king. It sounded an awful lot like themself.

 _What if the rope snapped and the cart rolled over one of them? It would mean one less monster to avenge their murdered king._

That one also sounded like the Caretaker in charge of Instruction of Strategy.

 _It's kill or be killed._

That stupid House motto.

Chara pulled at the hook in the cart to confirm its stability before working the rope around and into a knot. They wrapped the rope around the handle twice before securing the hook to reinforce the connection between the two carts.

 _That'll be impossible to untie. You just mess everything up._

That one mostly sounded like themself.

"Are you finished," Asriel asked. Chara jumped a bit as they were pulled out of their thoughts and nodded. He saw the tight knot on the handle and laughed. "You sure wanted to make sure it was secure, huh? Next time, you just need to use the metal hooks. Even if something slipped, this path is totally flat, so we could either re-hook the rope or use one of the spares."

"Oh, good," Chara replied, nodding and trying to force a smile. Asriel looked at them, but not with soothing, inviting eyes. His eyes seemed cold and heavy like a dreary autumn day, with relentless wind and rain that would not rest until everything was laid bare.

"Asriel," Toriel said harshly from the back of the line of carts. "All of the carts are secure, so let's hurry to the hotel," she added in a sing-song voice. Asriel blinked as his eyes changed to the ones that captivated them not two hours before. He stammered.

"I, uh, I just didn't know what… I just wanted… It's…" He sighed. "I'm sorry. It was wrong of me to try to steal the truth instead of asking you. I was impatient and didn't respect you."

Chara looked down and reached for Asriel's hand.

"It's o-"

"You don't have to say 'it's okay,'" he said, interrupting them. "I did something really stupid, so don't say 'it's okay' if _you're_ not okay."

The idea threw them for a loop. Relationships were for cooperation at the expense of one's self. Was it really okay to say they weren't okay? That seemed less desirable at the moment. They took Asriel's hand for courage.

"Thank you," they said.

"Thank you," he said, said, squeezing their hand back. "Do you want to tell be what was making you sad, or no?" Chara slowly shook their head. "Okay. You don't have to tell me, but if you want to tell me, please let me know."

They nodded, a small smile on their lips. They could never tell him. It was impossible to tell anyone. But pretending that they could tell someone, someday. The fantasy that someone would listen to them. It was nice.

"I'll keep that in mind," they said.

"You did great," Toriel whispered. "Both of you."

"Asriel," Asgore called out impatiently, "you stay at the back with your mother and keep the carts from drifting. Chara, you're with me! Let's go!"

The two walked to their respective stations, occasionally looking at one another. It wasn't until Chara had positioned themself behind the handle with Asgore that their eyes went wide. Carrying their own cart had been a struggle, a struggle that was being multiplied. Asgore leaned over to them slightly.

"I can do most of the work myself, but you looked a little upset. Sometimes exercise helps me when I don't feel great."

Their smile joined in the confusion on their face, but Asgore's suggestion didn't seem like a bad one. As he gave the call to go forward, Chara pressed the handle, chuckling at how the two of them made it fly much faster than when they worked alone.

At the back, Toriel and Asriel jogged to keep up, mostly ensuring that the end of the line didn't fishtail on the snow.

"Mother, did you know what I was doing," Asriel asked.

"I felt something, yes. You know you haven't received enough training to use that ability responsibly."

"I know."

"And I know that you only needed a little help to see your mistake. That Chara," she sighed, "I know you just want to make everything better. But I think practicing restraint and discernment will really help them a lot, don't you think?"

"I don't get it, but I need to practice more anyway."

"You can have more time to practice if you delete the games from your phone. And the movie programs. And the UnderNet program. In fact, you could do a lot more training if we just cut you off from all electricity."

"Mother," Asriel whined as Toriel gave an exaggerated evil laughter.


	14. i wasn't talking to you

**Author's Note: Hello! Well, as I'm having to say goodbye to some folks, it looks like Chara & Co are going to meet someone! **  
**I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please take a moment to leave a review. :)**

* * *

The soft noises of life and the colored lights grew stronger as they walked. Chara had been told that Asgore did not have great abilities in the realm of perception, but they were grateful that he always managed to slow down when they felt like they couldn't continue at that speed. He continued to proceed at a leisurely pace as the buildings they saw in the distance more than thirty minutes ago drew closer.

"You only have one first time at something," Asgore said. "We won't waste your first sight of Snowdin on running to the hotel."

Chara raised their eyebrows at his tone. Even in their short time underground, his soft tone seemed so out-of-place with everything they learned about him. It was a surprise, though not necessarily an unwelcome one.

They took advantage of the slow speed to soak in their surroundings. The shadows on the snow, an assortment of blues and deep purples, began to weaken as the golden glow of the town gained strength. Just off the right of the path stood something which Chara supposed was a tree with small points of colored light fixed stationary at regular intervals. They weren't sure what this thing was, though it had branches like a tree and green, spindly leaves as some trees were known to possess. They weren't sure if this thing and others like it were true trees, as this place was trapped from the sun and wind and other things that true trees need. That life needs. Not to mention they couldn't remember seeing any true trees that made them smile like that.

They turned their attention to the path and saw something they didn't remember seeing before. The light cast by the lit buildings only helped to shroud the object in mystery.

"What's that," they asked, pointing.

"Not what, who," Asgore responded. He lifted a hand and waved. "You didn't have to meet us, Sans. The missus wants us to stop by the hotel first, and Chara here probably could do with a nap."

"chara," repeated the figure before them. Chara thought they saw a flicker of blue light in front of the oddly-shaped individual and wondered if something like a firefly could exist underground as well.

"Yes," said Asgore. "This kid, well, we've decided to take them under our wing, so to speak."

Chara jumped as they saw that their eyes weren't playing tricks. The figure, this "Sans," was in fact a skeleton with clothes on. He was about Chara's height, wearing a blue jacket and shorts, keeping his hands in his pockets. They would have normally thought shorts to be improper clothing for such cold weather, but then wondered if body heat was different when one did not possess skin. He slowly walked to meet them as they both came to a stop. He looked at Chara who was still having a bit of a difficult time processing such a being who seemed dissimilar to both humans and monsters. They didn't expect to feel such little fear while in the face of such a wide smile and literally empty eyes.

"you know that humans haven't been allowed here since the war," he said, staring at Chara. Asgore began to explain.

"The war was such a different-"

"with all due respect," Sans interrupted, snapping his fingers, "i wasn't talking to you."

At that moment, everything more than a few inches outside of Chara and Sans fell into darkness, including sound. They could hardly make out the form of Asgore, mouth open, in the middle of talking. The bright buildings and lights seemed dim and far away behind that bewildering creature. More than with Asgore, their heart trembled within them as they wondered if they would die there, a failure, having neither killed the king nor lived many years with him and his family.

"now," said Sans as he returned his hand to his pocket, "we can talk without well-meaning intruders. there's always something i wanted to ask you."

 _Wait, "always"_ , Chara wondered.

"when did you get the ability to reset?"

"Reset what?"

Sans tilted his head, and Chara saw another flash of blue, this time emanating from somewhere in his skull. They were sure that they had said the wrong thing, though unsure what the right thing would have been. They were sure that there was no book to say what would be the right or wrong thing to do when falling into a world of monsters and confronted by a talking skeleton who seems to know you. At least, no book that they had ever heard of.

"so i guess that means you don't have it yet. i guess someone else sent us here. so, who did you meet before you were sent back here? undyne? paps?"

"Who are they?"

He straightened his head up, took a step back, and furrowed his brow in a way that few skeletons can.

"you don't know anything," he both stated and asked. Chara shook their head. "even if i believe you, gaster won't."

"Is Gaster someone I should stay away from, then?"

"it's not easy, but advisable." The light in his eye returned, growing into a flame. "especially for a dirty brot-" he sighed and the light was extinguished. "maybe you really don't know anything. maybe you really haven't done anything yet. so here's some advice: don't give us a reason to defend ourselves against you."

They stared at him, their back tingling like something was crawling up it. After a moment, they decided on a better reply than the truth.

"Don't worry. I'll keep away from any _skullduggery_."

Sans stared at them, the occasional blue light in one eye socket replaced by a shine in both.

"maybe this can be different," he said, his smile becoming kinder while hardly changing size. "make no _bones_ about it, gaster can be a weird motherf-" he stopped and looked around at the sky.

"Is something wrong?"

"no," he said, waving his hand dismissively while still looking up. "i just figured that… well, with the t-rating and all…"

"The what?"

"nevermind." He turned his attention back to Chara, lifting his hand out of his pocket again. "if you think that monsters are strange, gaster is even stranger. at least, he is now. i'll try to keep an eye on him, but you need to do your part. stay determined, kid." He snapped, and the world returned to the world of soft lights and soft snow and soft sounds of life. "and i mean that with all honesty," Sans continued, "i came to meet you to say that i have to get back to the lab. maybe we can get a bite to eat before you leave."

"Oh," Asgore said, somewhat disappointedly. "Don't tell me you're going to do some work with Gaster, _lazybones_?"

"don't think that i want to. after all, you know i don't have the _stomach_ for that kind of thing!"

"Is that Sans," Asriel said, walking to where they stood.

"yes, but not _in the flesh_ ," Sans answered. "sorry, but i'm gonna have to see you guys tomorrow." He gave Asriel a quick hug and waved to Toriel. "see you folks tomorrow!"

Chara blinked and he was gone. They stared at Asgore who couldn't help but laugh.

"Sans is a unique individual. It's a shame that you couldn't get to know him tonight. Maybe the two of you can have a nice talk tomorrow."

"Maybe," Chara agreed, staring at the footprints that led to them and nowhere else.


	15. I Must

Bedtime was several hours ago, with the town of Snowdin only softly lit by the decorated trees. Even Asriel eventually felt unable to stay awake and talk to Chara any longer, softly snoring in the other bed with one arm crooked above his head and one foot sticking out from under his blanket. The sound of slumber in the hotel wasn't much louder than that of the town. Almost everyone was fast asleep.

Except for Chara and the white face staring at them, of course.

They felt that everyone encountered thus far had been fairly simple to figure out. Asgore, Toriel, Asriel, even Sans. Each individual seemed to be driven by what they felt was the right thing to do, to get some form of happy ending for themselves and others.

But that face. That cracked, empty yet full of terror face. Absent of anything good.

And the whispers.

Every few minutes as the face inched closer, scratchy noises resembling words managed to be louder than Chara's own pounding heart.

"I. Must. "

That unnaturally white face which seemed to float in the darkness of night reflected the Caretakers whom Chara thought they were free of. The weight of their clothes pressed against them, but they felt naked as a terrified chill pierced their stomach.

"I. Must. "

The Caretakers who targeted Fallen Children for imagined crimes. The Caretakers who tried to break Chara even further when they realized that Fallen Child was becoming more and more of a problem. The Caretaker who wouldn't let the others be until Chara would agree to come into their office alone.

"I. Must."

All of those faces. Staring back at a lost human who lost all rights to a home by merit of their very birth. A human who was worth less than money or promises or whatever those adults had accepted over loving and protecting their own child.

Part of the white face became obstructed by shadow, and Chara could tell that a hand or claw or something was reaching towards them very slowly as two words joined the soundtrack of their private hell.

"I. Must. Stop. You."

Fear and hatred and pain had already wrapped around their throat a few minutes earlier, causing dark spots to dance across that mask-like face. The face drew closer. All those faces drew closer.

Chara felt something pressing against their chest, but couldn't move their arms. All they could do was back into the bed as the pressure went through their skins, through their very bones. They gasped, their eyes growing wide as they felt something inside of them being held harshly. Something important.

The invasive feeling began to withdraw, pulling from near their spine back through their lungs and ribs. A strange, red light began to shine, muted by the sweater they slept in. Asriel turned in his bed.

"Chara, what" he mumbled, words shifting into worried grunts.

As the light became brighter, passing through the sweater without so much as a broken thread, Chara's chest didn't feel quite right. They looked at the glowing red light which had such an odd shape. They learned somewhere that hearts were often drawn in that same shape, but that couldn't be a real heart. Their heart was still nestled inside their body, still beating after every small pause.

Thud-thud. Thud-thud. Thud-thud.

"Help you," said the sleeping Asriel. The face made a hissing sound and reached across the room, putting their other hand across his nose and mouth.

"Sleep," the whispering scratches ordered.

As that red shape was lifted further away from Chara's frozen body, the pause between their heartbeats grew.

Thud. Thud. .

As the red shape slowly became smaller and the unseen hand began to take on a violently crimson hue, the pauses outnumbered the heartbeats.

Thud.


	16. I Always Thought Him Strange

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I probably won't be able to release chapters so regularly until I get over whatever this crud is that's going around. (Ya know you're sick when you get sent home.) So until I can start updating more regularly, enjoy this chapter, and please take a moment to leave a review! (^.^)**

* * *

There was another thud.

Several, in fact.

The rapid footsteps grew louder until the door slammed open. The red light disappeared and Chara gasped, her heart racing as if to make up for lost ground time. Toriel stood at the door, dressed in her nightgown, bearing something like floating balls of flame in either hand, her lips upturned in a snarl. She looked at the room for a moment and took deliberate steps towards the face, causing it to back into the dresser, knocking over various knick-knacks. But she was relentless.

CRASH!

"You sure as" CRASH! "better leave my children the" CRASH! "alone, Gaster!"

The light grew brighter until the face finally left silently through the closed window.

Loud, less coordinated footsteps pounded along the hallway until Asgore stood in the doorway, one hand on the frame to steady himself.

"Let at me," he slurred, head swaying from side-to-side before he promptly collapsed on the floor, snoring. Asriel, sitting up in his bed, looked at his mother and father.

" 'idee yotoo ribeez?"

"No, we've both been in our room upstairs. He just didn't wake up all the way," said Toriel in answer to the questioning mumbles given by her half-asleep son. "You lay back down. Your father and I will stay here with you two."

Asriel's protestations slurred further into nonsense until he stopped, said "You know what, never mind," and fell promptly to sleep.

Chara could only watch as Toriel rolled her husband around on the floor, using one hand and both feet as she kept a ball of flame a lit in her free hand. She continued to maneuver the fast-asleep king until he served as a formidable blockade for the door to the room. After taking a long breath and giving an even longer sigh, she sat on the floor next to Chara's bed and began to breathe. Deep, calculated breaths like she taught them when they had that nightmare. But there was no counting, no descriptions of soft grass and clear, running water. Just deep breathes punctuated by shuddering sighs.

Chara joined In the slow breathing as best they could, staring at the living barrier between them and the door, pretending that he could protect them. That windows did not exist. That there were terrors that obeyed the laws of physics. They tried to fill their mind with something other than the terror they encountered.

After a few minutes, Toriel whispered, her voice cracking.

"I always thought him strange. But before, he never… He never would have…" She made a high-pitched noise, and Chara turned to see that she had covered her mouth and nose with one hand, trails of tears sparkling in the light of the fire she held. Their nostrils flared and lip trembled as they saw they weren't the only one who tried to cry silently. Toriel stood up and scooped Asriel out of bed with her right arm, his steady snoring turning into a stutter intermingled with bits of sleep talking. She sat back down on the floor near Chara's bed, switched the light to her other hand, and easily swept them off of their bed and into her lap next to a still-sleeping Asriel.

Chara fell into a fitful sleep filled with faces and fire.

* * *

"I don't care how long he's been in your service; what he did was tantamount to treason!"

Chara awoke to quiet yet furious whispers. They could see a brighter world behind their eyelids and figured it was daytime, but decided to keep their eyes closed. Maybe they could get some information.

"Yes," came Asgore's whisper, further away from Toriel's. "I do admit that what he did was a bit strange-"

" _Strange_? No, no, no, no! _Strange_ is finding two fillings in your doughnut. _Strange_ is the fact that Bob doesn't speak like other Temmies do. _This_ is _not strange_!" Chara hoped that Asriel was deep asleep through the twitches in Toriel's torso as she emphasized her point.

"What else am I supposed to call something I didn't even see with my own eyes?" It was Asgore's voice, but a tone that he never seemed capable of.

Chara could feel Toriel's arm move and bit their tongue to keep from jumping. A small whoosh from the area of her hand was followed by occasional crackling like a fireplace.

"Do you think I'm lying about seeing that twisted scientist of yours trying to steal our child's soul?"

 _That thing was a soul_ , they wondered. _But I don't think he was trying to steal Asriel's soul. Just mine._

"I didn't say that," he said, his tone shifting back to the family man everyone knew. "I just asked you what I'm supposed to call it when I can't even call myself a witness."

The crackling sound of flame went out and Chara felt Toriel's warm hand adjust their feet back into her lap.

"You didn't witness it, but I did. At the very least, I'd call it attempted murder on both of our children's lives."

With that last word, Asriel began to stir. Toriel asked him how he slept and Asgore said something about them being safe, but Chara could barely hear it.

They were a Fallen Child. A living weapon of the kingdom, raised and trained in efforts to launch a preemptive strike against the monsters sealed under Mount Ebbot, with primary emphasis on assassination. They were the first Fallen Child sent out after the Caretakers had supposedly gotten permission to finally implement their plans on the field. They were an unlucky one of the unlucky Fallen Children. They were a child of the House. A child of the Caretakers. A child of war and secrecy and death and…

a child of two monsters? No, a child that anyone would choose to keep than abandon? The idea was bizarre. It was a bizarre and rare and amazing and terrifying thing. It would go in the box for now.

"Chara, my child," Toriel whispered. "Are you okay?"

Chara opened their eyes, feeling tears released down their cheeks. They didn't even realize they were crying.

"I think it was just a bad dream," they answered, bringing their mind to a glimpse of one of their nightmares to hide from Toriel's loving gaze.

"The bad dream is finished," she said, wiping their tears. "And look," she motioned to the various dishes on the floor around Asgore. "Father brought us breakfast!"

"Oh, good," Chara yawned, rubbing their eyes. "I'm hungry!"

"Me, too," Asriel replied. He looked at Chara as they jumped to their feet to get a better look at the food. He knew that he shouldn't pry, that it wasn't right to look into someone's soul without permission. But for a moment, he thought he saw something. He thought he saw an image, like Chara locking something inside of a box.


	17. We'll Give

**Author's Note: Hey, all! Hope you're doing well. I'm FINALLY feeling somewhat healthy after that doozy of a cold! Shoot, man!  
I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and please take a minute to leave a review. (^.^)**

* * *

Her eyes narrowed at Chara as she inhaled sharply through her nose. Chara stood, motionless at what was standing before them. They grit their teeth and clenched their fists to keep from charging at full speed, head lowered slightly as their eyes continued to stare straight ahead. Asgore and Toriel were already inside of Grillby's, leaving only Asriel to watch. Even the snow-covered ground seemed tense with anticipation of the two's next move.

She began to shake. Subtly at first, but it grew in intensity as puffs of white began to spring up around her as it was almost a thrashing movement, her actions overpowering whatever she kept repeating.

Chara opened their mouth and said something, but it was too quiet to hear.

"What," Asriel asked.

They swung their left arm upwards, terminating the motion at the level of their eyes, pointing at the cloud which swirled around where she was still shaking violently. Chara whipped their head to look at Asriel, their eyes wide. They took a deep breath, but could only manage a somewhat audible reply.

"I said, 'Can I pet her?'"

At that, the cloud settled, showing that she had stopped shaking and was staring at Chara.

"da kyute H0man wanna p3t tEMMiE," the temmie shouted in disbelief.

"Why were you standing like that, all creepy," Asriel asked.

"Because if I don't stand here," they squeaked, "I'm going to tackle her with kisses, and I don't know if that'd be okay."

"IT okey wiT tEMMiE iF it okey wiT H0man," she squealed.

Chara smiled and ran to her. The temmie jumped into their arms and they kissed her all over her head, occasionally rubbing their forehead on hers between showers of kisses from the temmie all over their cheeks and ears. Asriel put his face in his hands. Temmies often shook when they were happy, but they also shook when they were upset. Coupled with Chara's strong stance, he was afraid that something was about to go so wrong. But as purple and green spots jumped around the inside of his eyelids, he tried to ignore how everything went so right. And if he watched Chara laugh while holding and petting that temmie, he might not be able to resist tackling them with kisses. Instead, he focused on how warm his hands were becoming, especially where his palms rest against his cheeks.

"Why are you hiding?"

Asriel lowered his hands and looked up. He grit his teeth as a smiling, happy Chara stood in front of him, holding an even happier temmie.

"I couldn't believe how you reacted seeing a temmie for the first time," he answered, managing to open his mouth enough to speak somewhat normally.

"Are you jealous," Chara asked, smiling but surprised.

His stomach tightened as he tried to remember how to make air move into his lungs. Maybe he was silly to keep his eyes closed before. If they wanted to, then…

"A little," he whispered.

"Why didn't you say so," Chara asked softly. As he leaned forward, they raised the temmie in their arms between their faces.

"wE'll giVe LOTSA KiSSies for dA priNcEy," the temmie exclaimed, giving him several kisses on his cheeks and forehead. "Uh-oH," she exclaimed as his eyebrows furrowed over his large eyes.

Chara laughed as the temmie jumped down. _That's for yesterday_ , they thought as they backed away, grinning.

"Star Blazing," Asriel screamed as they proceeded to rapidly create and throw snowballs at Chara. They laughed at how easy the field of snowballs was to dodge. Was he even trying?

* * *

"What's taking the kids so long," Toriel asked as Grillby, the owner of "Grillby's," set the orders on the table before the king and queen.

"They'll get here when they get here," Asgore said, smiling as his eyes darted between his wife and the snow battle he watched transpiring not too far from one of the bar's windows. "Now," he rubbed his hands, looking at the side of french fries eagerly, "where's the ketchup?"


	18. We're Gonna Have a BLAST!

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I was blown away by the positive feedback on my previous chapter! I hope that I can continue to write chapters that will make people glad that they read them!**  
 **I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please take a minute to leave a review! (^.^) Thanks!**

* * *

Asriel sat down, watching the cavern walls as the boat he was in bounced along the water. This river was much like a tunnel, various crystals in the walls indicating every bend and twist they were about to take. Only the Boatperson navigated these waters, but having hints of different turns always made him relax a little, even when the river seemed to travel unusually quickly. He stared at the shining points of light, trying not to dwell for too long on the reason for his father's decree that morning.

He couldn't remember that night in Snowdin, the night when Doctor Gaster apparently broke into their room at the hotel, but he felt a little better when his father had decided that a new royal scientist would be chosen. The title and responsibilities thereof would go to a nervous lady named Alphys who wasn't much taller than Asriel himself was. Even though she was one of Doctor Gaster's interns rather than an already established scientist in her own right, she never seemed to be the kind who would try to take Chara away from him. When the idea of losing them turned into a knot of fear in his chest, he nervously kept reminding himself that anyone who hurts a member of the royal family gets in trouble, and that trying to kill one of them would be even worse. The Boatperson continued to steer. One of the things Asriel enjoyed about riding this particular river was having someone who would listen to him, even though they weren't related. At least he was pretty sure they weren't related.

The decision to change the royal scientist had been made before the royal secretary less than two days after they arrived at the palace. A formal, public decree was to follow soon thereafter, but Asriel asked for some time to deliver the news to someone in person. On top of that, it had been some time since he was able to visit Waterfall himself and enjoy the quiet beauty of it at his own pace. When his father had given him permission to deliver the message alone, he quickly left to see if this news would be enough to make Undyne excited about more than battles or about being able to lead the royal guard someday.

"Thank you," he said, exiting the boat and nodding to the Boatperson. He was grateful that the ride bypassed Hotland to bring him to Waterfall. The only things he knew about that night were what his mother and Chara had told him, but he didn't want to travel alone through Hotland- through the area near the royal scientist's laboratory- until he was sure that Doctor Gaster was arrested or sequestered. Or dead. Or just gone forever, somehow.

He checked his phone to see what time it was. It turned out he was a little ahead of schedule. He opened his messaging application and typed out a message to Undyne.

"Hey! Are you home?"

After a few moments, she replied.

" HEY, TWERP! LOL Yea, I'm home. Why? "

"I just got to Waterfall," he typed out. "I'll be over in a few minutes."

" We're gonna have a BLAST!1111! "

"Not literally, right?"

After a minute, his phone buzzed again.

"You're no fun."

"I'll see you in a bit."

Asriel walked briskly down the pathway, passing by the shop run by Gerson and the temmies' villlage. It wasn't that he disliked either place, but the shopkeeper tended to ramble a touch, and it was sometimes a challenge to leave that adorable village of temmies. As he walked by the area where the paths diverged, choosing to stay on the path which would take him to Undyne's house, he heard soft footsteps beside him. He turned and saw it was Sans, who naturally appeared out of nowhere in his jacket and shorts. He seemed a bit out of breath, which was a bit surprising, but Asriel had learned to put expectations to the side which it involved skeletons who ate and talked and smiled and did a whole host of things without muscles or skin.

"what he did was wrong," said Sans after the two walked quietly for a couple of minutes. Asriel didn't tell Sans about what happened that night, and he was sure that no one else knew about it. Yet another assumption disproved by Sans.

"Well, I don't really remember any of it," Asriel said, not sure how else to respond.

"doesn't mean it didn't happen. and it doesn't make it right." He gave a sigh from deep in his bones, digging his hands further into his jacket pockets. "there's gotta be another way to make it right," he whispered.

"Make what right?"

"uh, well, when you think or feel something, you try to do something to make everything right, make everything okay again. but sometimes, you just gotta let go of stuff before things will be okay."

"What do you mean," Asriel asked, not sure if that's what Sans meant by his comment at all.

"when you take away whatever's left-"

"No," Asriel whispered.

"-then everything else-"

"Please, don't," he closed his eyes, rubbing away the encroaching tension headache.

"-is all right!"

Asriel gave a growling groan both at the pun and the fact that part of him wanted to laugh. When he opened his eyes, he found that instead of Sans, he was looking at Undyne's house. He walked further up the path and could hear Undyne grunting and various objects meeting an untimely end. He smiled. The leaders of the royal guard had stayed mostly the same since before he was born. But if anyone could earn that title, he knew that the ever-determined Undyne could.

"Knock knock," he shouted, standing at the door and wiping his shoes on the welcome mat. There was the sound of rapid footsteps, giving him just enough time to jump back before Undyne swung the door open.

"Hey, kid," she shouted, her red hair liberated from its usual ponytail. "So, what's up?"

"Oh," he said, smiling. "I just wanted to tell you some good news."

"Really," she asked, her razor-tooth smile so wide that her eyes almost shut entirely. "Congratulations! What happened?"

"Actually, it's about Alphys."

Her smile shifted just enough to allow her eyes to fly open.

"What about her," she asked through her teeth, her scales seeming to take a rosy tint.

"Father will make the announcement in about an hour, but he said I could tell you that Alphys has been promoted to the new royal scientist!"

"You mean, people won't look down on her for being an intern anymore? They'll finally listen to all her ideas?" Undyne's face had shifted into one of utter shock.

"That's right," Asriel said.

The next thing he knew, he was sailing into the air and into a trashcan.

"Sorry," he could hear her say as she ran to him. "Force of habit!"

She helped him out and invited him in for tea.


	19. We Named Them

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Please take a minute to leave a review. Thanks! \\(^.^)/**

* * *

Asgore had encouraged Chara to go around and explore whenever they liked, assuring them that part of being a member of the royal family meant being with the people. But after trying to sleep in their own room alone brought on a panic attack, a silent agreement was reached that Chara should always be with someone that they trusted. At least until they felt brave enough to try more things on their own. It felt a little strange to them at first, like they were a burden. But when no snide comments were made at their expense, when any question they had was answered with kindness, they began to enjoy the arrangement. Even if business was being conducted in the royal court, Chara was allowed to come in for as long as they wished as long as they tried to be quiet.

Toriel sat on one end of the couch, reading something about sails or snails or sales or something else that didn't seem too terribly interesting. Chara lay on the over side of the couch, reading one of the books that Alphys had deposited into the royal library. It was entitled "Human History Part I," but the hand-drawn cover along with the prevalence of robots, aliens and comedically-timed nosebleeds made everything seem a little off. They tried to focus on the pictures, but they kept looking to the clock ever since Toriel received a message that Asriel was on his way back home.

"The more you look at that clock," Toriel said, still reading her book, "the slower time will go."

"Is it because of some sort of spell," Chara asked. Mentions of Magic in the House were centered on battle, whereas this world seemed to have magic coating every last bit.

"Not so much a spell as a curse."

"A curse," they asked. Toriel had answered so gravely that Chara had to put their book down and look straight at her.

"Yes." She looked at them, her book in her lap, the corners of her mouth slightly turned downward. "The curse of impatience!" With that final word, she scrunched her nose and pursed her lips in mock frustration. It didn't last long as she added, "He has his phone and the Boatperson always knows when someone is arriving. If he's a little late, it's probably because he got distracted at the temmie village." She gave a sigh. "It's always hard to leave that fluffy place," she said with a smile. Chara raised their eyebrows at the statement: if Toriel was calling it a fluffy place, it must have an incredible amount of fluff, indeed!

"I'm home," Asriel called out after entering the front hall. "I'm sorry I'm late!"

"Only a little bit," Toriel said. "How are the temmies doing?"

"They're doing well," he answered, walking in to join the two on the couch. "Temmie finished some online classes, so she'll be able to go to college as soon as she can pay the tuition."

"Oh, good," the queen said with a smile. "We should make sure to visit her store more often to help her with that."

"What happened," Chara asked, looking at Asriel's fur and clothes which were clean and proper when he left, but not so as he stood in front of the couch. Chara moved to the side to allow him room to sit down while hiding their nervously fidgeting fingers.

"Oh, I just visited one of the royals guards. Her name's Undyne." He sat down, leaning on Chara's arm to see what they were reading. The fidgeting stopped for a moment. "I wanted to tell her in person that Alphys is the new royal scientist. She, she got a little excited at the news."

"I bet she did," Toriel commented, shaking her head slightly and giving a chuckle. "That girl, I swear. She should practice different ways to express her enthusiasm."

"I guess she's really tough, huh," Chara asked. _Please be careful. I don't know what I'd do without you_ , they thought, hoping that no one noticed they were lightly stroking part of his arm to calm down.

"She sure is," Asriel replied. He sat still, hoping Chara wouldn't stop.

* * *

Asriel and Chara walked down one the road to the Boatperson. Asriel gave a nod or a smile or a wave to anyone who greeted them. Chara was surprised at how the royal family's kindness and friendliness seemed to the the rule rather than the exception among the monsters, but they could only manage an odd half-smile in response to any greetings. Their head was still spinning from last week's formal announcement.

They were relieved that the dangerous creature everyone called Doctor Gaster was to be arrested and another monster would take their job. She seemed like a nice lady. Being with Asriel and Asgore and Toriel felt so addictive, having companionship instead of Caretakers and being helped instead of having to protect the other Fallen Children. To the others, formally announcing their adoption of the human named Chara seemed a natural course of action, as to do otherwise would mean deplorable abandonment.

To Chara, being noticed rather than staying a secret was strange. Hearing Toriel and Asgore declare their addition to the family as the beginning of a new hope for monsters and humans to return to the hopeful days before the Great War seemed like a wide and wonderful and heavy thing they couldn't understand. Seeing and hearing strangers cheer and welcome them, it was almost frightening. To go from the pain of their life on the surface to this exquisite dream seemed too good to be true. Dreams always end.

Asriel took their hand and gave it a squeeze, bringing them back to the present.

"The Riverperson's boat is just up ahead. I can't wait to show you the special garden! What?"

"Um," Chara stammered, their reaction apparently being insufficiently excited. They liked the greenhouse next to the family's vacation home, and the trees in Snowdin seemed nice, but what could survive down here besides the various mushrooms that kept them company their first night underground?

"C'mon," he said with slight exasperation. He helped them into the boat, placing his hand on the boat's bow for balance. He felt movement under that hand and noticed that it was currently in the shape of a temmie, or possible a doge. He liked when the boat had that shape. He asked the Boatperson to take them to Waterfall and sat down next to Chara. They gave a yelp as the boat bounded forward on the water. It was a bit of a rough time for their very first boat ride, and they were afraid it would make their breakfast come back up. When the boat took a turn, it caused Chara to fall towards Asriel. They held on to him so they wouldn't hit the floor, but when he whispered "I've got you" and wrapped his arms around them, they decided that they would endure any sickness if it meant that they could stay with him like this.

The boat ride finished all too soon and the two of them stepped out onto the path, Chara feeling colder than when they rode in that terribly bouncy boat which may or may not have made dog-like sounds during the ride. They rubbed their arms, but it couldn't bring the warmth from before.

"Let's go," Asriel said, waving to them. They realized they were so caught in their thoughts that they were falling behind. They jogged to catch up to Asriel who pointed out various rock formation and crystals and more of those glowing mushrooms. They gave off a similar light to the ones they saw when they first met Asriel. They liked him in that light.

"There it is," he said, pointing to a group of large greenhouses, covered with what seemed to be white plastic sheeting. When Chara did not immediately run, he took their hand and pulled them along.

"What in the world could be so important," they asked between breaths.

"These flowers don't exist anywhere else in all of the Underground," he panted. Slowing down in front of the largest one just enough for him to throw the door open, he made a grand sweeping gesture to the artificially-lit plants within. "We got some of these flowers from the surface just before the war and have worked hard to make them grow more and more!"

Along the walls were potted heliotropes and impatiens, their monochrome illustrations in Chara's science books doing them little justice. Along the floor, taking up a majority of the area, were yellow flowers. These, too, were only in black and white in those old books, but the shape seemed familiar.

"We named them, the flowers that survived from the surface, but I was really curious what humans call them," Asriel said, smiling. Chara knelt down and held one of the yellow flowers in between their fingers. The yellow light reflecting off their thumb jogged a memory.

"I think," they answered hesitantly, "I think they're called 'buttercups.'"


	20. Let's Make Him a Pie

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I hope you're doing well! I know this chapter is a little short, but I hope you enjoy it all the same. Please take a moment to leave a review. Thank you! (^.^)**

* * *

"'Buttercups,' huh," Asriel asked. "Is it because they have butter in the petals?"

"Yeah," Chara answered slowly. _At least, I think so_ , they thought. _Why else would they name it that?_

"But it doesn't melt like butter," he commented, kneeling down and gently tugging at one of the petals.

"I think you mix it with the food," they said, thinking about the times the Caretakers fixed various leafy foods for meals. There was probably something yellow mixed in there before.

"I bet father will be happy to hear about this!" He turned and smiled. "Father loves butter."

Chara jumped a bit, remembering that first night with Asgore. The tense conversation after dinner. While the king had announced their adoption to a cheering crowd, Chara could still feel the weight of the knife they held that night. The knife they had planned to drive into the chest of the one who now chose to be their father. They knew they could never fully atone for what they tried to do, but looking at Asriel's excited smile gave them an idea of what they could do as a start.

"Let's make him a pie," they suggested. "I," they began to run their fingers over his sleeve again and again, "I haven't been able to think of a way to-" _apologize_ , they thought, "-thank him."

"Really," he asked. _What are you really thinking_ , his eyes seemed to say to Chara. They quickly plucked a flower and pulled Asriel backwards with them so they were both laying on their backs. They couldn't let him see their mind, their past thoughts, their past actions. They rubbed their head against his arm, their face growing hot. Wanting to be so close to him would normally be too embarrassing to act on, but they would do anything to distract him from who they really were.

"I heard someone make a little game with flowers once," they said, trying to shove the dangerous emotions and past into the tiny box in their mind. "You say something and tear of the petals, and the last petal has the answer."

"Can you show me an example," he asked, sounding sufficiently distracted.

"Sure," they said, wanting to scream at how little they thought this through. Plucking the petals one by one, they softly repeated the words they heard long ago when they were allowed outside of the House. "He loves me, he loves me not. He loves me, he loves me not…" They dropped the flower before every petal was gone. "Like that," they whispered.

"Let me try," he said quickly. Before they could say anything, he had jumped up, picked a flower, and sat back down. They sat up with more than a few questions. _Will he stop trying to see inside my mind? Is he distracted?_

"They love me," he began, his hands trembling.

 _Why does he look nervous?_

"They love me not."

 _Why am I nervous?_

"They love me."

 _Why am I excited?_

"They love me not."

He stared at the flower in his hand, his smile having grown with every petal plucked. One petal left on his flower, just like Chara's. He picked up their flower again and put it in their hand before sitting back down as close as he could to Chara without being in their lap. He looked at the final petal on the flower, plucked it, and looked up at them.

"They love me," he asked.

Chara looked at their own flower, the final petal, the final question. They tore the petal from the flower and stared at him.

"He loves me," they asked.

He took their hands in both of his, looked in their eyes, and nodded.

"Yes," he whispered, becoming even more excited once he said it.

They tried to keep up a facade of shock. They didn't answer him, but that seemed to matter less than him being able to say "yes." Those eyes which moments before wanted to know the truth seemed to scream a "yes" of stubborn love. A "yes" that they couldn't earn or destroy. A "yes" that promised any absence of theirs would be noticed. A "yes" that would give anything and everything to help them. A "yes" that Chara was sure almost no human deserved. They tried to keep up a facade of shock over the fear of a love that threatened to even risk the contents of the box in their minds.

The "yes" in those eyes died down to a whisper as Asriel's shoulders sank.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I mean," he threw his flower to the side with a wry laugh, "what do flowers know?" He looked at the flowers and dug his finger in the dirt nearby as he continued. "If you don't luh, luh," he stuttered for a moment, teardrops dripping from his chin into the dirt, "if that flower really is wrong, it's fine. I'll just deal with it. But I don't think I can stop how I feel. If you don't want to talk to me again, okay. If you find someone, okay. But I will do whatever I can to help you and I will love you even when I'm a pile of ash."

"I'll think about it," said Chara, reaching for his hand. He held their hand tightly, his softness suddenly turned from an addictive pleasure to a frightfully powerful thing they didn't deserve to be near. They wondered if this odd fear was part of the beginning of the Great War. "Let's go home," they added, raising to their feet as they helped Asriel do the same.


	21. Your Father's Going to Love It

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I hope you're doing well! Well, I hope you're doing better than a certain someone, anyway...**  
 **I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please take a moment to leave a review. Thanks! (^.^)**

* * *

"And that's a common cooking substitution among humans," Toriel asked. She was just as confused as her son when Chara told her about how buttercups could serve as a substitution for butter.

"Well, maybe not common," they admitted, not wanting to give up the idea of doing something for Asgore, "but some people do. And imagine how special it would be! You'd probably be the first monster to ever make a pie like this!"

"But this obviously means a lot to you," she said, her eyes wide with excitement and potential bragging rights of being the first monster ever with this new recipe. "I can, however, help you and give you a hand. Do you have any ideas of what you want to make for him?"

"Chara and I talked for a while by the flowers in one of the greenhouses," Asriel began. Toriel gave a look of surprise and anticipation until he rolled his eyes, shook his head, and continued. "We talked for a while _about what to do for father_ -" the queen gave a sharp breath of exasperation, "-and we thought that some sort of pie would be good."

"Yeah," Chara chimed in, surprised and grateful that he made it sound like that's all they talked about. "What pie does the king really like?"

"Oh, he always has room for one of my butterscotch-cinnamon pies! One pie can split well between the four of us."

"Actually," they said, "can we make a pie just for him? I want to do something just for the king, to say thanks for everything he's done for me."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," she said, smiling. "But you need to practice something while you do that."

"What?"

"He's not just our king," she said, brushing some of Chara's hair behind one ear, "he's your father now, too. Practice remembering that, okay?"

"Okay," they nodded, smiling as a few tears fell. This was still so confusing for them, but maybe showing a little emotion could distract the queen from seeing their true motives, that the gift of gratitude was really a gift of apology which would be followed by other apologies to the other two members of the family. It seemed to work as she wiped a tear from her own eye and led her fluffy child and not-so-fluffy child into the kitchen to begin cooking Chara's special gift for Asgore.

Chara couldn't make their hands stop shaking. The emotions were too much. The stirring made their arms hurt. And when they forgot why they were doing it, their foray into cooking was actually a little fun. Sometimes, they wanted to just stop and do something else, but Toriel continued to encourage them with plenty of comments of "you're doing great" and "yes, just like that" and "your father's going to love it."

Chara's hands trembled as they served the pie to Asgore. As he smiled, taking the pie with great enthusiasm, they knew that they wanted to spend the rest of their life atoning for what they had tried to do before this fantastic fluffy fool of a father decided to adopt them.

"What a unique texture," he said, mouth still half-full with the first bite of pie.

"It's a special recipe," Toriel explained. "You know those golden flowers in the greenhouse?"

"In Waterfall?"

"Yes. The humans apparently call them 'buttercups,' and some humans use them in place of butter when they cook."

"Butter from plants instead of milk," he exclaimed. "Next you know, Chara will tell us that chocolate comes from plants!"

Chara couldn't help giggling at how shocked he would be to find out about cocoa beans. He took another bite, looked at them, and gave his head a shake.

"You couldn't have made this yourself," he laughed. "It's too delicious! You're too tiny to have such a big knack for cooking! Tori, you can tell me. They made you do all the work, didn't they?"

"No, dear," she chuckled, "I just taught them the recipe."

"Do you really like it," Chara asked, taking a step forward after he ate another bite.

"Mm-hmm," he answered softly, almost as if he were half-asleep.

"Honey," Toriel said in a sing-song voice, "you're going to ruin your appetite if you eat the whole thing before dinner." They didn't have to turn around; they could guess how she looked. They followed the instructions, they made everything under the supervision of one of the best cooks they ever knew, but they knew something was wrong.

Asriel stared at his mother as she added, "Why don't I save that in the refrigerator for later?" He had heard his mother frequently try to curb his father's snack habit, but he had never seen her do so while wearing such a worried expression. It bordered on panic.

"Nonsense," Asgore whispered, panting. "This is the special treat Chara made. They worked so hard on it." He turned his face up to Chara, his slight swaying indicating that it took all of his energy to stay sitting up. He tried to smile, but his eyes went wide. He had just barely covered the remainder of the pie with his hands before vomiting on the table.

Chara hadn't meant to laugh. Or maybe they did. How stupid did they have to be to forget the signs of poisoning? One of the buttercup petals could be made out in the bile and they stared at it. Laughing. They weren't sure how hard they were laughing. They weren't sure who came and helped Asgore to another room. They weren't sure who came and escorted them out of the room. It was kind of hilarious. The Caretakers would criticize them on their battle tactics and assassination practice without realizing they bred the perfect killer. Even when they tried to do something to help, they were still trying to carry out their mission. It was pretty funny. They thought they could change. But they couldn't stop who they were. They were just too good at lying and deceit and death.

They weren't sure how they got into the room they shared with Asriel, or how their bed ended up propped against the door as they sat in the corner. They just laughed louder and louder and louder.


	22. Can I Have You?

**Author's Note: Hey, everyone! Sorry that I haven't updated in a little bit, but I was on vacation! It was so much fun visiting my friend. She's visited here, but I never got to see her in her city, so yeah! Enough with the happiness, let's get to the pain! For real, though, I'm trying to mostly follow canon, so this is where stuff gets bad. If you hated that part of Chara and Asriel's canon backstory, I'd suggest tuning back in in about two chapters. For the rest of y'all, here ya are!**

* * *

Chara stared at a bit of dust on the floor that danced with every panicked inhale and exhale. Their heart was beating so hard. They were caught in death and lies and hiding and death and

Realization hit them and they understood the monsters weren't all that different from themself. They were hurt, too. They were pushed away and isolated, too. They were locked up in this dark place unsure when they would ever be let out into the light and air and life. No. The monsters seemed to have accepted their state of darkness. But Chara knew light, knew air, even remembered sights and sounds of those few hours they were allowed outside of the House. They knew what the people of this land were being denied. What they almost helped ensure would be ideas seemed to throb through the very air.

Their common enemy was humans. And if Chara retained any ounce of humanity, they would gladly be caught in the crossfire if it meant destroying the Caretakers. The parents who so willingly abandoned ignorant children. Every human on the surface.

Chara realized they hadn't been breathing when they noticed the dark areas at the edge of their vision and the was none of the colors looked quite right. They took a few especially deep breaths, effectively expelling the dancing dust to some other area. They realized that the pounding was coming from the door. And even worse, two voices.

"Chara, let me in. Father is being taken care of."

"I must stop you."

Chara chuckled. Leaning their head up until it thunked on the wall and looking to the side, they saw a figure standing in the corner to their right. The same figure from that night, possibly hidden when the world around them became dark. Possibly causing it. Doctor Gaster, the former royal scientist.

"Why settle for one human when you can stop us all," they asked. He tipped his head in confusion.

"That's new," he muttered, his scratchy voice having donned some unearthly accent. "What's your plan this time?"

"Why did you want my soul? Why didn't you just kill me that night?" They wanted to make sure their theory could hold up.

"If I can stop you," he said as black tendrils stopped within an inch of Chara's cheek, "then why can't I harvest your soul to break the barrier? It would be a waste not to, really." One of the tendrils sliced into their cheek just enough to allow the blood to slowly emerge from the surface. Chara cursed how they couldn't even keep a selfish vow. "Now," the voice hissed, drowning out the chorus of Asriel's pleas, "what's your plan?"

"Get me the rest of the king's pie and I'll tell you on the way to the greenhouse in Waterfall."

* * *

"I'm sorry, mother," Asriel whispered as a small fireball hovered in his hand. Something was wrong, but when he felt that cold wind go to the kitchen and back, he knew that his Chara was in danger. He squinted and aimed for the door handle. The force was greater than he expected, both blowing him to the floor and blowing a several inches out of the area which used to hold the door's handle. The door flew open only about a foot or so, but it was enough to see the empty room and open window. He felt colder than he had in years. Something was wrong, but what?

He breathed another apology to Toriel and one to Chara as he let the creeping sensation free. The one he began to let free on Chara before, but this was different. Being hated for eternity was okay if he could find them alive.

He closed his eyes and saw his world pass by at impossible speeds while silently calling for Chara with varying levels of fear, anger, and need. He saw Chara in the arms of some monster wearing dark clothes. No, in the arms of Doctor Gaster. They seemed awfully calm for being kidnapped, but Asriel heard them shout, "He's found us! Faster!" before they sped up faster than he could track them. He squeezed his way through the door. As he jumped through the window, he thought he could hear Toriel asking what that noise was.

* * *

It hurt much more than Chara expected, and the various liquids shooting from their body was an unwelcome surprise, but this was new for everyone. When they told Doctor Gaster of the plan, he even suggested that a higher dose of buttercups mixed with the remains of the pie could speed up the process. Though perhaps it was to make their final moments as painful as possible for his viewing enjoyment. It didn't matter, though. Chara couldn't keep the oath to not get hurt, but maybe someone could keep the promise to eliminate every enemy of the monsters.

They shuddered and rolled on their back as they watched the red heart-like object raise from their chest. They spit out a mouthful of vomit.

"There it is," they whispered, their voice almost as scratchy as Doctor Gaster's.

"Chara," Asriel called out as they ran in, hand-in-hand with Sans.

"Gaster," Sans screamed, letting go of Asriel's hand and causing large fireballs to burn in both hands. "You think you're one slick mother-f-"

"T-rating, Sans," Chara whispered, smiling. They knew none of the monsters would agree to any of this. They weren't killers like them or Doctor Gaster. If only they didn't care so damn much, they could be free.

"Chara," Asriel screamed, his eyes wide and the tears freely flowing. They felt something similar to that time outside of Snowdin. That feeling of a wind wanting to press in and open every secret place. If Doctor Gaster was otherwise engaged, then Asriel would have to do.

"I'm sorry," Chara whispered as they opened up the iron box in their mind. Letting him see every hit, every night of terror, every permanent scar might get him on the same page. Might make him see why all the humans have to die. After letting him see every moment until then, they could just barely make out the shape of Asriel's hand on their soul.

"Even though you're stupid and selfish," he whispered, his voice empty from shock, "can I have you forever?"

"I think you're stuck with me," they smiled. "We must," they took a shuttering breath, "we must," they began coughing and took another breath, "stop them."

They exhaled, and every organ rested.


	23. How Do I Make Someone Pay?

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Hope you're doing well! Enjoy the new chapter and please leave a review. Thanks! (^.^) (Again, stuff gets really dark here so if that messes with you, it shouldn't be so bad in the next chapter.)**

* * *

As Asriel absorbed Chara's soul, his mouth gaped in silent agony as his body was pulled through physical growth faster than he could handle. It was all he could do to remain standing. He forgot where he was. For a few moments, he forgot who he was. All he knew was the pain, the hatred burning in his chest, and the strangely light body he held in his arms.

When the pain subsided, he noticed that everything seemed smaller and wondered how tall he was. Thinking about hunting down every one of those ghouls from the human's memories, making them scream as they made Chara scream, giving them as much outward pain as they gave Chara inward pain, he began to smile. As he tore through the wall of the greenhouse, bounding for the Surface with ease, he furrowed his brow. _How do I make someone pay for something_ , he wondered. He saw one of Chara's memory, how they were struck for every minor mistake they made, beating each infraction into their flesh. He looked at his hands, his normally filed claws now a third the length of each finger. _Maybe I can carve each of Chara's tears into their flesh_ , he thought. The idea both pleased and troubled him.

He ran out of the cave and into the sun-soaked mountaintop, his head swimming. His grandfather's generation was the last to feel sunlight. He began to laugh, but didn't like the deep guttural voice that came from him. But it felt so good! The crisp breeze, the smell which seemed like the forest in Snowdin but more alive, even the impossibly bright sun that made him squint.

"Look, Chara," he whispered, moving one arm to stir them while staring at a tree he had never seen before. "What do humans call that-"

He looked down and saw Chara, their head lolled to the side, their mouth slightly open and their eyes completely closed.

"Yes," he said, traveling much faster than he meant to, "I guess this sun really is too bright. And I guess some of this might look scary to you. But don't worry." He held Chara's head to his chest, resting his chin on top as he ran. "Once I kill all the bad humans and get you inside somewhere, you can see how beautiful everything is."

He heard the noises before he saw anything. A soft murmur of a crowd which grew louder as he continued forward. He remembered those Fallen Children and Caretakers from Chara's memory, but he didn't remember seeing so many of them to make this kind of noise. Unless...

He ran up a hill to see a large village spread below him. He stood there, staring.

"Where are the floors," he muttered, examining the scene before him. "The stone walls? The knives? Why doesn't anyone sound afraid?" He remembered those nights and days Chara witnessed parents and other adults selling their children to the Caretakers, and strengthened his resolve. He backed down the hill and worked his way into some trees which bordered the village. It wasn't too hard to find an area that was both sufficiently busy as well as within easy distance of the trees. He could do sufficient damage before anyone could react. He watched for an opportunity, sure that he was trembling with excitement. Then he saw one.

It was a boy who was taller than Chara, if not older. Some of the adults who were the happiest to be rid of their children wore similar clothes. Chara had always wondered if they were already rich, and Asriel agreed it was likely.

"Close your eyes, Chara," he whispered, cradling them closer to his chest. "You might not want to see this."

Jumping out from the trees, he landed in front of the boy. Asriel raised his free hand above his head, blinking back the tears that interfered with getting a proper view of his first kill. The boy was so frozen in fear that he could hardly raise both hands in front of his face. The boy, who might have been the kind to yelp when startled, would only produce a quiet groan in lieu of a scream. Asriel's hand stayed suspended. Not really by his own fear or even the confused cries he heard pouring from this boy's mind. It was the boy's eyes.

They didn't seem like the Caretakers' eyes, windows into a walking pile of hatred and greed. They didn't even look like the sad, yet relentless eyes of his grandfather in the portrait at home. They seemed neutral. Maybe even friendly under better circumstances. And so much like Chara's. The young human in his arm had refused to wake up. What if felling this boy was felling one of Chara's relatives? Yes, it was treacherous to sell Chara, but what if they were his only living link to that child who found him alone in the cave? As the boy began to stand up straighter, his face seeming to show he knew something was off, a zip through the air was followed by a thud.

Asriel's body jerked forward with the impact and the boy yelped in surprise. More zips and more thuds caused Asriel to move in ways he didn't want to, one impact almost throwing Chara from his arms, another nearly knocking him backwards. The arrows sunk deep into his flesh, but it only joined a chorus of pain already roaring within. He ran back to the cave, arrows and cries hurled at him. He never knew the same of his people could be used with such hatred.

As he stumbled up the mountain, he saw someone standing not too far from the mouth of the cave, his clothes tattered and his expression heavy.

"let's get you inside, kid," said Sans. Even though Asriel was about three times his height now, Asriel leaned on him as he had many times before. Even though Sans was about a third his height now, Sans helped him along with ease as he had many times before.

"The village-" Asriel began.

"i know," Sans interrupted quietly.

"And Chara-"

"i know. and i failed this time, too."

The two entered the cave, past the barrier, and met a horrified Toriel and Asgore standing by a bed of flowers. How long had those honey flowers No, what were they called?

"Buttercups," Asriel whispered, briefly horrified as he began to collapse. But when Sans quickly snatched Chara from falling, Asriel smiled. His solid form changed in mid-air, sprinkling the flowers with his dust.

"The humans will die," Asgore whispered, staring at the formerly yellow flowers now tinged with a sacred shade of gray.

"Do you see what murder does," Toriel screamed, tears freely flowing as she gestured to the area which once had her son. Which still had bits of her son.

"Every human who comes here will be killed, their soul used to break the barrier and to help with the extermination of such evil hate."

"Says the one who is proposing evil-"

A thud rang through the air which made even Sans, otherwise oblivious, flinch. Toriel rubbed her jaw, staring at eyes so lost. Hopeless. Deadly.

"I pledged to be with you until we were dust," she whispered. "I don't know who you are, but you are not my husband. And I wish I knew when I lost him."

"Fine. If you're so convinced that the king is not your husband, then you have no business living inside the palace. And I-" his anger and words faltered. "I don't need the vacation house, so it doesn't matter who decides to live there."

He turned and walked away, using his phone to talk to someone about gathering the flowers near the barrier as samples. After standing for a few minutes, watching him move into the darkness, Toriel looked down at Sans who was still clutching Chara's body. She placed her hand on his head and went inside to grieve.

"you stupid kid," Sans muttered. "last time it was those thorn-apple flowers because you thought they came from apples. before that it was forget-me-nots so we wouldn't forget you." He picked them up and carried them to the castle for their funeral. "like anyone could forget you. i almost stopped you last time. added another crack to gaster's face, but I was still too late." He sighed. "why even try anymore?"

* * *

They seemed like dreams. Sometimes scary, sometimes fun. The same things could make the dream go either way. Only once did it begin when someone entered the cave, with other dreams beginning at various other events. But it always ended the same: after their death, it was back to sleep until the next human climbed Mount Ebbot.

"If anyone's here," a voice whispered, "my name's Frisk. And I don't mean any harm."

A human promising they didn't mean any harm. That obvious lie roused Chara from their sleep with a smile. _This would probably be one of the fun dreams_ , they thought as they approached the human Frisk, silently and invisible.


	24. You're New

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I hope you're doing well and that you enjoy this chapter. And please take a moment to leave a review! :)**

* * *

Chara stood behind the newcomer, Frisk, just behind their right shoulder. The young human was of a similar height to Chara and even had the same hair, but the color of the clothes and skin were noticeably different. Frisk, though it was unclear what caused this. The words "cold" and "fear" came to mind, but Chara couldn't remember what those words meant. Oh, right. They began to remember the other humans mention similar words. Something about feeling cold right before the dream finished. Or something about being afraid. Those humans were right to be afraid. Every human is a threat to monsters. Or was it the monsters who said they were afraid as the humans bravely vanquished the threats to mankind? It was difficult to remember. Someone was afraid and someone was cold. It had been a long time since Chara experienced either thing themselves. Since they could feel their own body or move without guessing. When memories began to stir, pushing the human into the path of a monster served as a welcome distraction.

"Well, howdy," a high-pitched and bouncy voice called out. Frisk turned their head, quickly facing the sound. They walked forward to see a solitary flower with a peculiar pattern ringed with petals.

"What an odd-looking buttercup," the human muttered. Chara stared, remembering what sadness was.

"Hmmm. You're new to the Underground, aren'tcha," the voice said again. Frisk jumped as the strange pattern was in fact a face on that buttercup. Chara smiled at that voice which sounded a bit different than the last time they heard it. Maybe the two of them can finally have fun in this dream and defeat the enemy.

"I am new," the human said. "I'm sorry for calling you odd. That wasn't nice of me." Both Chara and the flower flinched. Humans don't act like that.

"Well," the flower began, regaining his composure, "I'm Flowey. Flowey the flower. Someone ought to teach you how things work around here! I guess lil' old me will have to do." White objects like seeds materialized, floating mid-air between Flowey and the human. "Around here, we get stronger through these. We call them 'friendliness pellets.' Here ya go! Catch 'em all!"

With that, the pellets flew through the air quickly. Chara sighed that their friend was giving the intruder something with such a sickeningly sweet name, but was surprised when the human jumped out of the way just in time for the pellets to only cut their clothes slightly.

"What are you doing," Flowey asked, the former bounce in the voice replaced by a not-so-subtle anger. Chara wasn't sure why Asriel chose the name Flowey, but their familiar voice felt so soothing while the anger seemed to remind them of someone they didn't want to remember from long ago.

"Thanks for the offer," Frisk said, smiling, "but sometimes humans and monsters need different things. So you go ahead and hang on to your friendliness pellets, because I need to tell the king-"

"The king," Flowey asked. No one ever saw or heard Chara in these dreams, so they were sure it was a coincidence that his fear for the king reflected their own. Chara used the vague memory of having hands to grab the human's arms and forced them outwards as more friendliness pellets encircled them both. It might be fun to see another human defeated, but dream or not, Asgore was one of the few who must always be protected.

"Down here," Flowey continued, "it's kill or be killed."

"It's like that everywhere," Chara corrected.

"Now," Flowey said, his face distorting into an amalgamation of fear and anger, "it's time to die."

Chara wondered if the pellets would hit them, too. They looked at the snarling face that replaced their dear Asriel's and wondered what they missed to make him like that. As the pellets closed in, they wondered if protecting Asgore would make him smile again.

"Don't worry about him," Frisk whispered as they struggled to move. "I'll try to help him, too."

"What," Chara asked, unable to make a sound. Their fear increased. Was all of this actually real?

The two stopped as a hovering ball of fire appeared beside Flowey and knocked him out of the ground and far into the distance.

"You poor creature," said the rescuer. "I'm glad that I got here in time! Come, let's go to my home and get you something to eat."

Chara stooped behind the human, hoping that Toriel didn't see them.


	25. You'll Be Safe

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I hope you're doing well. Enjoy this next chapter! :)**

* * *

 _I thought we were going to get something to eat_ , Chara and Frisk both thought as the three of them stood facing a cave wall.

"We will get something in due time," Toriel said, chuckling at the way Frisk scrunched up their nose in confusion. "Now Cha-" she began to cough, holding up a hand to silently beg Frisk's pardon, and began again. "Now child, just stay with me and you'll be safe. There are various puzzles here, and we must solve a few before going home." She walked over to an area of the cave and began walking in a pattern, each step followed by a click rather than the soft tread she had had before. After a loud thunk was heard, she then walked to a metallic-looking square on the wall and flipped a switch, opening a door Frisk had not seen.

 _I don't remember seeing that before_ , Chara thought, fear and anger replaced by something else they didn't want.

"That sure seems to be a lot of trouble just to open a door," Frisk commented. "Is there no other way in there?"

"There used to be," she whispered, looking at the area where Frisk barely escaped with their life. "Puzzles turned from a tradition to a security measure some years ago," she added in a louder voice. "This way."

Frisk looked at the area outside of the new doorway and saw large circular pegs inserted into the ground. Replicating Toriel's path, they were rewarded with the same thunk before they followed her through the doorway.

* * *

"I know you said we'd get some food, but I think this might have a little too much fiber for me," Frisk said, motioning to the stuffed monster dummy before them.

"Rooms aren't the only puzzles here, young child," Toriel explained. "A monster may be afraid of you and feel the need to defend themself. But just like humans, there's always something that can show them you mean no harm, like talking to them. If they still don't understand, keep them talking and I'll find you and resolve the situation."

"'Resolve the situation,' huh," Frisk repeated. Chara thought about when Toriel "resolved" the Gaster situation and chuckled. They wondered if Toriel would resolve the Frisk situation in a similar way. That thought didn't seem as funny.

"I'll give it a try," Frisk said, cracking their knuckles as the two walked over to the dummy. The caves weren't nearly as bright as the world above ground, but as the two humans approached the dummy, what little light there was began to dim. This was nothing new to Chara. Every time another dream finished, every time another dirty human was vanquished, the world would go even darker before they fell asleep. But this time, the darkness felt frightening, even the familiar isolation it gave from any existence outside of this interaction. Was this darkness always so scary? The idea of leaving their rescuer, the idea of going to sleep again, was a terrifying one. They grabbed Frisk's sleeve, hoping that they could stay awake.

"Hello," Frisk said to the dummy as they waved.

"Hello," the dummy didn't say.

"Did you eat a lot earlier?"

 _What_ , Chara asked silently.

"You look," Frisk paused, pointed with both index fingers and smiled, "absolutely stuffed!"

Chara had never seen another human make such a stupid joke. Or a stuffed object look so exasperated. Or said object floating away in a huff. But there's a first time for everything.

"That's new," Toriel muttered. "But I guess that was one way to go about it," she added, giving a smile and a shrug and continuing on. Frisk followed with Chara at their heels.

It wasn't long before the darkness returned. This time it wasn't a practice dummy, but an actual monster. Chara remembered seeing a family that looked like this one a long time ago, but was unsure where or when. They grabbed onto Frisk's sleeve even more tightly, wondering who would die. Would the frog-like monster win and defend this land against terror from the surface world? Slaughter the human and leave the survivors to mourn? Would the human win and keep one more monster from coordinating an effort to break the barrier and destroy the humans? Viciously destroy the poor monster and continue to take what little life remains here? Would Chara's grasp on the intruder's sleeve stop an attack or aide one? It would matter nothing if it was just a dream.

"Okay," said Frisk once Chara's thoughts began to settle a bit. "So, uh, hello frog creature? Ma'am? Sir?… Cave citizen? Not sure what's best to say to someone such as yourself, but, um… There are creatures that look like you in my town, and I always thought they looked cool. So I think you look cool, too!"

The monster stared in confusion, but seemed to decide that the indecipherable series of noises was some form of compliment and began to purr happily. It was only a moment later that Toriel stomped into the darkness, giving the monster a glare that suggested a hasty retreat would be best. Frisk gave a nervous laugh as the light returned and Toriel congratulated them on trying to talk things out with what she called a "froggit," but Chara could hardly hear any of it. They continued to grab Frisk's sleeve as the three of them walked forward, staring at this new human who didn't even pull out a knife. This human who didn't even use a preemptive attack. This human who refused to do any harm to a monster. Could they truly be a human if they didn't hate what was different?


	26. I Kinda Like It

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

* * *

It had been about an hour since Toriel had told them to stay put and about fifty minutes since Frisk decided to continue exploring the unkempt tunnels. Chara continued alongside, watching and listening as they soldiered on through room puzzles and dark rooms. This human seemed to like talking- muttering possible solutions before completing a puzzle, commenting on various things they saw, even saying goodbye to every monster they convinced to leave them alone. But four words made Chara a little more wary, a little more curious, and a little more afraid for Toriel.

Chara gasped when they saw the ghost laying on the ground and continually saying the letter "z" out loud. Normal monsters were one thing, but one resembling a silent, invisible embodiment of a formerly living creature was more than they could handle. They weren't very adept at dramatic irony.

Frisk walked up to the ghost and stopped a foot away, clearing their throat. But the ghost continued its feigned sleep. Frisk softly nudged the supposedly sleeping specter with their shoe, almost losing balance as the area became dark. These times of darkness were a little less scary to Chara, but they continued to grasp the other child's clothes with both hands.

"Sorry to wake you up," said Frisk, their voice becoming more sure with every monster interaction, "but please don't take any more beauty rests. You're already more beautiful than everyone else. Give the rest of us a chance, huh?"

The ghost quivered what was likely their lower lip as tears floated from their eyes. The tears dashed towards Frisk as the ghost sobbed about how everyone likes to tease poor ol' Napstablook.

"Sorry," Frisk exclaimed while dodging each tear. "Sorry, Napstablook was it? I didn't mean to sound fake. But I don't think anything can make you look better than a ten out of ten. Including beauty sleep!" Chara was impressed at how fast the two of them were able to move, despite their trembling hands still clinging on for dear life.

"A ten out of ten," Napstablook asked, sniffling.

"Definitely! How can you top that?"

"By turning it up to eleven," the ghost replied. They began to cry again, but the tears fell up rather than out. Piece by piece, a shape began to take form from the tears until a top hat had formed onto Napstablook's head. "What do you think? I call is 'Dapperblook.'"

"You are amazing, my astral amigo," Frisk exclaimed. "That is by all definitions a perfect eleven right there!"

 _I kinda like it_ , Chara muttered, venturing a peek from behind their excited human shield.

The darkness faded as Napstablook's mood seemed to lighten up.

"I usually come down here to the ruins to be alone," they explained. "But today, I met someone nice." They looked at Chara and added, "Make sure to be careful so you don't worry Ms. Toriel," before fading away.

"Oh, is that who that was," Frisk wondered aloud. "That makes sense."

Chara's grip on the shirt increased. No one ever saw them. No one ever heard them, or no one did anything if they could hear them. They could do things like block a weapon or help a fight end permanently, but no comments were intentionally made to them. No glance in their direction was anything more than an accident. Then why did this ghost stare directly into their eyes and tell them to be careful for Toriel's sake?

"My child," she cried out. Chara covered their mouth to stop a gasp. They had been so wrapped up in their thoughts that they weren't paying attention. The two humans were now standing in that same open area in front of the royal family's vacation home with a worried Toriel running towards them, cell phone in her hand. Bits of its light purple color were chipped near the edges, and the string of crystals connected to the top was almost as small as its short antenna. She slowed to a walk when Frisk held up one arm across their chest and made their other hand into a fist. Chara knew their stance. Chara knew those four words Frisk used earlier. "I bet none of the other Fallen Children noticed that before." "I wonder if any of the other Fallen Children tried talking to that monster." "I hope this monster didn't lose their family to any of the other Fallen Children." The other Fallen Children.

The tactic was strange, but the goal was clear: the Caretakers had sent another Fallen Child to kill the king of the monsters.


	27. How Do I Leave?

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Hope you're doing well and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please take a minute to leave a review. :) Thanks!**

* * *

"How do I leave these ruins," Frisk asked yet again after having taken a quick nap. Toriel had deflected this question several times, even using various facts from her snail book. But neither Chara's clandestine book placement nor gastropedic trivia could cause Frisk's resolve to waver, nor their voice to harden in frustration.

"Stay here," she said. She put down her glasses and book and rushed out of the room. Chara nodded in approval. This intruder's murderous intent was obvious, even though the battle stance from earlier was shrugged off as being spooked. It wasn't clear why Toriel would come all the way to their vacation home without her husband, but she was going to do something to ruin the assassination plan.

She must've learned her lesson when I almost killed him, Chara thought, pulling at Frisk's shirt to stop them from pursuing Toriel. Humans bring death. All must die.

Frisk's steps began to slow, though they continued forward. Chara couldn't stop them, even as they neared Toriel standing at the rear door of the vacation home. Something drove Frisk forward, something that was stronger than Chara. Was it need? No, it was something different. Deeper. More relentless. Maybe the word would come to them before they fell asleep again.

Too quickly, the two of them stood behind a heavily-breathing Toriel. They all stood facing a closed stone door. Chara recognized the carved designs when it had been open a long time ago.

"I just want to leave," Frisk said.

"Why," Toriel screamed. "So he can kill you?" She spun around, blasting a fireball from her hand and into the ground. Frisk stared at the foot-deep crater as Toriel spun around, her face wet with tears. "So he can harvest your soul just like the others who fell down here and didn't let me protect them?" Chara had been party to the demise of many humans and monsters. But seeing the once smiling face so contorted in pain made them wish they never woke back up.

"I want to go back to the surface," said Frisk. "And the only way I can is through the exit, when I suspect is far on the other side of that door, right?"

Toriel looked down, her face giving the answer she didn't want to.

"Please," Frisk whispered, "it's time to let go."

"If you're so determined to leave," she said, her nose scrunched in a snarl as her brow creased in fear, "then prove it." Fireballs emerged from her hands again as the room went dark and the exclamation mark-cube appeared overhead. "Prove you're strong enough to survive!"

"I'm not the largest," they ducked, "or the toughest," they jumped out of the way of two fireballs, "but strength isn't limited to one type!" Toriel took a moment to catch her breath. "Things like kindness can be more powerful than any attack."

"What about them," she asked, unleashing a large, but slower, volley of fire. "Gloria was patient and kind, and all I was able to get from her body was her favorite ribbon! Aaron's bravery," a fireball landed far to Frisk's left, "Raul's integrity, Heeon's perseverance," three fireballs landed far to the right, "Nadia's kindness, none of them were strong enough and I failed every one of them!" Frisk stood still as Toriel continued to blast a hole into the ground between them before she fell to her knees. "Even Rie couldn't have justice. None of them could."

"I won't pretend like it doesn't hurt," said Frisk, jumping over the gulf and standing by Toriel. "But I also won't pretend like I want to stay in these ruins forever. There's been so much hurt here that it'd be best for everyone to move on. To a place of healing."

"But I can't," Toriel gasped. Chara froze. Did Frisk mean to look in their direction?

"You can't yet," Frisk corrected, walking away from Toriel and towards the stone door. "And it's not impossible, really. There's a difference between impossible and difficult. It's just that it's too difficult for you right now." They strained against Chara's pull as they reached for the latch.

"I can't let you go," Toriel screamed, jumping towards them. "Ever!" Chara braced for claws, for teeth, for anything that would destroy the threat and put them back to sleep.

But there was only warmth.

"I don't want to let you go," Toriel whispered, tightly hugging Frisk. "I really don't. Because if I let go, I won't know what happens to you."

"Is that really why," they asked. She sunk to her knees, face buried in their shoulder, arms still clinging to the child.

"I won't know if I can find your body after they kill you."

"To be honest, I don't, either."

"Then why won't you let me save you," she asked, her voice hoarse.

"Because I have a mission."

Chara snapped out of their confusion at the word. They didn't want Toriel to see them, but at this point, it didn't matter anymore. They stood on Frisk's feet and locked the intruder's arms with their own. Once they said their mission, Toriel can have a clean shot.

"I know you want to get to the surface," she began, "but-"

"No. I mean, I do, but that's not my mission."

Toriel looked up from the tear-soaked patch of Frisk's shirt.

"What do you mean," she asked, her eyes flashing in fear.

"My mission is to save the world."


	28. I Promise

**Author's Note: Hello! Hope you enjoy this chapter, and please take a moment to leave a review!**

* * *

Chara breathed hard through gritted teeth as they pushed Frisk's tongue with their thumb, the rest of their hand holding the jaw to ensure that this intruder couldn't lie any more. An idea had been threatening them from the shadows, an idea given new life by everything Chara could not experience. Everything they could not experience proclaimed their death, however long ago that was.

Frisk made noises as if they were trying to speak, but they couldn't feel the pressure of the tongue or jaw. They couldn't feel the lower teeth even though their eyes showed that contact was made there. They couldn't feel the saliva that humans are supposed to have in their mouths. They could see and not be seen, as Toriel's fearful gaze showed she could not see Chara trying to save her. They could touch things without feeling them.

As Frisk struggled in their grip, Chara began to remember others who struggled. Some ran from magic attacks that eventually overtook them. Some showed their true colors as they choked on dust that used to be a group of living monsters. At least one had struggled in their arms, a rock raised overhead. How many were Fallen Children? It was hard to remember.

If they could hold them a little longer, Chara hoped that Toriel would come to her senses and destroy the liar. Missions mean death. Humans mean death. They deserve death. They deserve something worse.

The grunting turned to something else. Less frantic, more controlled. Smoother. Was that music?

Chara wanted to press their fingers harder into this intruder's throat. Let them try to sing while choking on their lies. But they could only slide to the ground as Frisk's loosened tongue began to sing a song. His song.

 _The dark caves will all fade away  
And we will not be afraid  
On the surface, we'll be free  
We'll live in joy, you and me_

"How do you know that song," Toriel whispered. Chara could barely manage to turn their head sideways to see her crying.

"A human learned it a long time ago," Frisk began, rubbing their jaw and testing the mobility of their tongue before continuing. "We think they learned it soon after the War. Sympathizers, likely. Until recently, someone who passed along something like this could easily be sentenced to death, or worse."

"Sympathizers," Toriel repeated. The tears still flowed, but now from confused, distrustful eyes. "My kind were sealed in these caves. By humans. Where were the 'sympathizers' then?" She spat out the word like a curse. Frisk looked down.

"I'm a human," they said.

"Obviously," she scoffed. Chara hoped her rising anger would mean a quick end to all of this. They certainly weren't able to do it themself.

"Humans can pass through the barrier, but monsters can't," Frisk continued. "For a specific reason. I," they sighed, "we know some monsters can read minds, and there's always been suspicion that the royal family would have this ability. If you don't believe me, if you still hate us for everything we've done, then I will let you see everything I've learned. Just don't let anyone else see."

"What do you mean," asked Toriel, her arms already on their shoulders, preparing to gaze into the depths of this human.

"Just promise me. They can't know yet. Maybe never. It's too dangerous."

"I promise," she answered unsurely. "Am I allowed to speak of this?"

"If you can find words for it, you can say it," they said, smiling bitterly.

Chara held onto Frisk as they hoisted themself off of the ground. They had to see. Maybe if they stood behind this human and looked at Toriel.

Nothing.

They began to breath quick, shallow breaths. Who will protect her if they couldn't follow? They touched Frisk's head.

Nothing.

Arm. Face. Chest.

Nothing but an increasing look of horror on Toriel's face.

Toriel.

They reached a trembling hand to touch the back of hers. They knew they lost all rights to her, but maybe they can pay later for their sins.

She gave a shout, releasing Frisk and jumping back. She began to look fervently, as Frisk, around the room, at the back of her hand.

"Their blood," she gasped, stroking the back of her hand absent-mindedly.

"How else is a magical barrier to know the difference between magical monsters and humans who may or may not know magic?" Frisk wiped their eyes. "And in spite of everything, they are the reason I could come here. I wonder if they knew someone would try to carry on with their work. But a bigger question is will you let me?"

"Of course, my child," she said, leaning down to hug them. Chara pretended they could feel her fur, that it was as soft and warm as ever, and that they can return someday once this liar had been dealt with.


End file.
